The Star of Shu Han
by Lady Grasshopper
Summary: This is the story of how a general's mere daughter became the shining star of the Shu kingdom. From beginning till end. From chaos to peace. Will the kingdom she brought up prevail? Will she? Please Review! Violence, Romance, Adventure!
1. The Pacification of Chengdu

1. The Pacification of Chengdu

Zhang Xing Cai was standing amongst the severed corpses of her enemies. She was breathing hard. Her chest was heaving up and down. Her entire body was shacking beyond what she could control in response to what she had done. She killed them. She had destroyed not only the lives of the men at her feet. Not only them, but also their family's lives. How many parents, wives and children would have to be told that their sons, fathers and husbands were dead because of her!

War was wretched, all it did was take, but Shu rose victorious, that should ease her conscious. It didn't. War was nothing like she thought it would be. She didn't expect it to affect her so. Her father never showed any signs of what she was feeling. Did he feel at all? Or did he drink those feelings away to cope with the guilt of the deeds done in battle.

She was alone because he abandoned her! He left her for dead in this godforsaken forest. He was supposed to protect her. Her father, Master Zhang Fei, himself had ordered him to keep her safe and he ran like a coward.

Xing Cai drove her battle fork into the ground with all the might in her body. Why did he leave? He left her in the shadows of their enemies to be killed. Why? He was a man, he was supposed to be strong, the son of Zhang Fei, Shu's fearsome tiger general. How could he leave her for dead?

She heard a horse trotting up behind her. If it were an enemy, the horse would have been galloping. Regardless, she spun around with her tall shield at the ready. Her blood was running so high that she reacted before she had a chance to think or realize who it was. A tall white horse stood before her. Riding the stallion was her father's sword brother, and her Lord Liu Bei.

So she lowered her shield and took in a long breath in an attempt to try and recover from the fright, but it was in vain because she started shaking.

She saw that he looked sad, but it was not her place to ask why. She didn't need to anyway. It was no secret that he was remorseful about attacking his own kin.

"My Lord." She bowed her head.

"Please, raise your head." He told her.

She did as she was ordered, and as she did, her body stopped shacking. She could slowly feel herself regaining control of herself.

"Come with me. Your father is waiting for you at the camp." He explained.

She nodded, but didn't return his proud smile because she couldn't force such emotion on her face after what she had just seen and done.

It took more force to pull her fork from the earth than it had to plunge it in, and since she was without her blood strength, it only made it that much harder. Liu Bei turned his horse so he wouldn't see her struggle. She appreciated it. When she had the fork out from the ground, he led her off to the main camp.

As Liu Bei had said, Zhang Fei was waiting at the entrance of the camp. He smiled and raised a jug of wine bigger than his head when he saw her.

"Today I think you have proven yourself my daughter."

His voice was hoarse, as if were dry. Was he drunk already? He couldn't be, the victory horn was sounded only a few minutes ago, but if he was, it would be a new personal best.

She smiled, or at least she tried to. Only now was Zhang Fei beginning to take notice of her talents. All his attention had always been directed at her older brother, Zhang Bao, the coward who abandoned her on the battle field.

"Yes, all of you performed well. It's thanks to you that we captured Yi Providence." Liu Bei praised.

Liu Bei rode away to find Zhuge Liang or someone else of great importance. More important then they were anyway.

"Where's Bao? I promised to have a drink with him." Zhang Fei asked her.

She wasn't about to tell him that Bao had left her to flee south, where he could safely wait out the battle in one of the supply bases. Bao was supposed to stay by her side and make sure that nothing happened to her, but he proved himself to be even less than worthless today.

If she did tell Zhang Fei, he would probably make some excuse for him or refuse to believe her, and she wasn't completely sure if he was drunk or not. If he was, he might get violent, again.

"I'm sure that he'll be here soon," She lied. "but it's a little early to begin celebrating Master Zhang Fei. Wait until we're secured our positions in the bases."

"There's no such thing as celebrating too early, and quit calling me 'Master Zhang Fei'! You're my daughter. It sounds weird to hear that from you."

The last thing she wanted was trouble from him. So she left Zhang Fei waiting on Bao to return. She went into her tent and freed her body of her armor and then put on a simple green dress.

Her tent was a mess, it was littered with everything from weapons to armor to her clothes. Since she had nothing better to do, she cleaned it, but it was more like shoving everything into a trunk in the corner. Then she cleaned the enemies' blood from her battle fork. Keeping her weapons clean had always been important to her. This may have been her first battle, but she had killed people before and their blood on her blade haunted her. Same as if was the blood of a friend.

The sun had completely set by now. The crescent moon hung in the sky with the gleaming stars all around it. There was no rain to clean the smell of blood from the land and there was no breeze to carry it away either. So the smell lingered like a thick cloud above the camp that only she seemed to notice and despise.

Xing Cai stepped out of her tent to find that the celebrations and drinking had already begun. She should have guessed as much, but she was still surprised as to for none of them wasted any time with their drinks.

Zhao Yun was standing a little ways off. She had never seen him drunk, not even once. They were quite alike in that way, along with many others. They both were quiet and only spoke when they thought of something that needed to be said. They also were always the first ones to volunteer to fight on the front lines. However, Zhao Yun's request was usually accepted, while hers, until toady that is, had always been rejected.

Since she preferred Zhao Yun's company to that of the drunken Zhang Fei's, she walked over to him. He smiled warmly when he saw her coming.

"You did well today." He complimented. "More so than your brother did."

"You saw him?" She asked.

He nodded slightly.

"Yes, but like you, I think it's best to not mess with Zhang Fei when he's drunk. He won't take kindly to the news that his son is bit of a coward."

She smiled and was glad to know that she wasn't alone in thinking that, even if he was phrasing it too gently for her taste.

"Next time, I'll go with you." He told her.

The grin on her face faded. She didn't want a guardian, everyone that ever watched over her eventually left. Zhang Fei left her when she was a child to fight. Her brother abandoned her today. Something inside her doubted that Zhao Yun would be different, but she knew him better than that. On top of being her mentor and teacher, he was also her friend.

"You're company would be better than my brother's." She admitted.

"He just needs time to find his courage."

"How is our lord? He seemed rather upset today." She asked, changing to topic.

Zhao Yun sensed that she didn't want to talk about her brother anymore and went along with the new conversation.

"He's feels guilty for attacking another Liu, and losing Master Pang Tong only made it worse for him." He explained.

"But we have Ye now. Its crops will help support the campaign."

There was an awkward silence when Zhao Yun didn't respond.

"If we had completely captured Chengdu, then we would be celebrating in Luo castle." He reasoned. "Now if you'll excuse me."

With that, Zhao Yun bowed to her out of respect and left, leaving her alone. What did he mean? Luo castle wasn't taken? It was Master Pang Tong's job to take it, and he was dead now. So it must still be under Liu Zhang's control. They would have to take it before they could go home. Then that meant that they would have to launch another attack, and soon. Maybe not tomorrow because most of the generals would be drunk, Zhang Fei would probably be the worst of them.

She wasn't alone for long, all too soon Zhang Fei came over to her. With the sour smell of wine on his breath, he threw his arm over her shoulder and pulled her over to the fire. He plopped them both down next to Liu Bei and Bao. Bao didn't look at her, much less say a word to her. At least he was ashamed for leaving her.

"When is brother Yu gettin' here?" Her father asked Liu Bei in a much more casual, and uneven tone than she would have ever used when addressing Lord Liu Bei, but Liu Bei didn't appear to think anything of it.

He simply took another drink from his cub and then answered;

"Any time now."

"Is that Ping boy comin' too?"

Zhang Fei nudged her ribs with his ruff elbow. She pushed his arm away.

Ping boy? Why couldn't he ever call Guan Ping by his name? Then again, he didn't call Master Guan Yu by his real name either. The three of them may be sword brothers, but did they really ignore the importance of rank?

"No doubt Cai can't wait to see hi again." Bao added.

Her checks burned red. She glared at Bao with a venomous look on her face to silence him. It did the job. Why did Bao always have to be so nosy about everything? How dare he mock her like this after abandoning her?

Then she saw Liu Bei smile. That made her face burn hotter than the flames that consumed Cao Cao's fleet at Chi Bi a few years ago. However, Xing Cai was too shy to defend herself, and she couldn't think of the right words to do so anyway. Everyone here probably won't even remember what was said by the time morning arrived. So there was no point in picking any fights, even though she probably would win it.

The mockery went on. She focused on the flames of the fire in front of her with all the energy she could muster. The flames were hot on her face, but her face was already hotter than the fire itself. So the heat didn't affect her.

Eventually the topic of conversation changed to Bao and the 'fierceness' he displayed on the battlefield. Bao went along with it and told story after story of how he had saved her life time and time again. She literally had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from screaming. Eventually, she could taste blood. So she took a chunk of her bottom lip in her teeth to replace her bleeding tongue.

"Then a unit of archers came. I grabbed Cai and pulled her behind a tree for cover. She was so worked up that I had to kill all the archers myself in between their volleys." Bao rattled.

The other generals nodded their heads in approval, even Zhuge Laing did.

That was it! Zhuge Laing's approval of Bao's lies was more than she could stand. She couldn't take it anymore. Although he had never managed to get on her better side, she couldn't that the thought of him thinking she was nothing more than some damsel in distress. So she spoke out.

"And then we were ambushed and Wei Yan was too far back to help us. So I told Bao to attack the right flank while I go left, but lucky for him his horse was fast enough to get back to the base before the ambush party reached us."

Everyone fell silent, everyone but Wei Yan, who laughed louder and faster than she had ever heard him talk.

"His… Horse… Was… Faaast!"

Bao was at a loss for words. Either he couldn't believe that she defended herself or that he was too drunk to think fast enough to find something to say in return. Either way, she won this brawl.

Then everyone burst out laughing, except for her and Bao. She gave him a victorious grim while he simply stared at her.

She had won. She and Bao quarreled often, especially when they were children, but he had never humiliated her like this before. She wasn't going to stand for it. She didn't mind them fighting, but she wouldn't let him promote himself in front of the Shu generals at her expense.

Then a messenger came running from outside the camp. The laughing ceased.

"Riders have been spotted approaching from the east."

"Brother Yu is here!" Liu Bei happily concluded.

"It's about time." Zhang Fei added

Even Lord Liu Bei didn't call Master Guan Yu by his formal name. Maybe they actually did think of themselves as brothers, even if they weren't actually related in anyway, but she would continue calling her lord, his generals and his brothers by their formal names. It was because of that, among other reasons, that she hadn't called her father 'father' in several years.

She looked off into the distance and saw several figures of riders coming their way. Fear was not one of Xing Cai's normal emotions, but the thought of seeing Guan Ping again made her stomach turn so tightly that she could barely breathe. Oh God, she was going to throw up.

She stood up and ran to her tent. The last thing she wanted was for all the highest ranking generals of Shu to see her in this kind of state. When she got to her tent, her stomach turned over and she could breathe again.

What would she do in the morning? She would have to face Guan Ping eventually. Stalling it wouldn't do her any good. If anything, it would only make their reunion worse because she would have more time to dread it. She should just go out and meet him, but when she moved to the flap of the tent, she found that her legs wouldn't take her any further that way. So she went to the bed and sat down.

* * *

Hey guys, I'm baaaaack!

Alright, here we go again, except this one is about Xing Cai (obviously). Anyway, now that school's out I should be able to update every week, but I hope to more often than that. So enjoy my new story. It's starts out kinda slow, but it gets better. Let me what you think or if you have any suggestions. Reviews are very much appreciated here!


	2. Old and New Friends

2. Old and New Friends

The next morning was cold and foggy. Xing Cai was one of the only ones up this early, and it was no surprise since half the camp was on a hangover.

When she left her tent, the first thing she saw was Master Zhuge Liang with Lady Huang walking together amongst the tents of the camp. They must be discussing strategies on how to attack Luo castle, and if that wasn't it, she didn't want anything to do with it then. She didn't want to get involved with other people's personal lives. When she was a part of a campaign, that was the only thing on her mind and it was the only thing she focused on. She was all about business, and right now her business was seizing Luo Castle from Liu Zhang.

She walked over to the stable tent and found Liu Bei's horse, Hex Mark. She had always liked the horse. He had a kind eye, unlike Guan Yu's Red Hare. That horse was nuts. Then she saw Red Hare standing in the tie stall across from Hex Mark. Red Hare was huge, and his elaborate saddle only made him look that much taller so it only made him look that much more intimidating to her. Why did Guan Yu leave his saddle on anyway? All good horsemen pulled the saddles when they left their horse in a stable. He probably got drunk and forgot to take it off last night.

Wait a minute! If Guan Yu was here, then so was Guan Ping. She had hoped that everyone at the fire last night had been wrong about their arrival. They weren't. She had to get out of here before Ping found her.

"Just think, it wasn't all that long ago that it was Lu Bu himself who rode that horse."

She spun around to find Guan Ping standing in front of her. Oh no, he found her, and now she would never be able to get him to leave. She had to focus on the battle, not her own emotions. Her emotions wouldn't get her anywhere, she knew that.

"He still reflects his former master." She stated, referring to Lu Bu.

Guan Ping laughed.

"Yes. I have never seen such a stubborn horse before him, but I have seen many stubborn people. Specially you Xing Cai."

She didn't respond, hoping that it would make him lose interest, but it didn't work.

"Come, walk with me."

She followed Guan Ping out of the tent. Great! Hopefully no one would see her walking with her old 'friend' like this.

Instead of circling around the camp like the Zhuge's were doing, he lead her into the woods and toward the river. She couldn't be seen going into the woods with him! What could she do now? If she turned and ran back to the camp, he would just follow her.

They walked side by side out of the camp and down to the river. Fortunately, he stopped at the river. If he had kept going, she didn't know if he would have stopped.

The tide was low this time of year. The waters flowed slowly and reflected the sky perfectly.

Guan Ping sat down at the base of a tree.

"Why don't you write to me Xing Cai?" He asked.

He turned to look at her. His face was full of hurt and the urge to understand. She looked away and tried to hide the tears swelling in her eyes, but she didn't do a very good job at it. She couldn't stand that look from him, and knowing that that look on his face was because of her own coldness, was too much to bear. Guan Ping stood up and held her in his arms. His warm body felt good against the cold.

She didn't want him to see her filled with these kinds of petty emotions. She was above that, but she couldn't hold herself back any longer either.

"I couldn't." She tried to explain. "Zhang Fei and Bao both suspect us and Zhuge Liang wants me to marry Liu Shan."

Just the thought of Liu Bei's son made her wince. Sure he was brave and bold, but he could never hold his own in a battle. His boldness was his weakness. It got him some of the worse situations imaginable. Zhao Yun had to save his life countless times and she didn't want to have to take on that job. She already had to worry about making sure he lord was safe and that he father wouldn't get himself killed by his own drinking. She couldn't worry about the young lord too.

"You don't have to marry him." Guan Ping pleaded.

She looked away so she wouldn't have to look at his face. She was so absorbed by her own tears that she didn't even notice him pulling her closer to him. He placed his hands around her neck. She turned to face just on time for him to pull her lips to his.

After a sort minute, Guan Ping pulled away from her.

"I don't want to do anything you'll regret." He explained.

She didn't respond. Then, with the word's worst timing, a horn sounded. It wasn't the Shu horn, nor even the Wei one. She wasn't particularly familiar with the Wu horn, but she didn't imagine it sounding like that.

"Whose horn is that?" She asked.

"I don't know."

They exchanged worried looks then ran back to the camp. They camp was in turmoil as it was being attacked by Liu Zhang's cavalry. What were they thinking? Putting a cavalry against the entire Shu force, it was madness. This had to be Liu Zhang's last hope, his last desperate attempt to keep his lands under his faltering rule.

She ran to her tent and picked up her fork and shield. When she ran back outside, the size of Zhang's cavalry seemed to have doubled. Alright, maybe she had underestimated Liu Zhang, but they were still no match for the Shu force.

A rider came riding over to her with his spear pointed right at her chest. She ducked behind her shield, the force of the blow threw her to the ground. The horse reared up above her. She rolled to the side so that its hooves wouldn't land on her. She stood up and slashed the rider across the chest with her fork. He fell from the horse and landed on his back.

She turned around just on time to see another rider charging at her, but then an arrow whipped through the air and hit the rider square in the chest. She spun around and saw Master Huang Zhong with his bow in hand drawing another arrow from his quiver.

"You alright little lady?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Of course I am."

Master Huang Zhong was one of many generals that took a fancy to saving her. He was the only one, other than Zhao Yun, that was nice about it though. She figured Guan Ping would be too, but lucky for her, he never had the chance to save her and she didn't intend on giving him one.

She looked away and saw her father trying to fight off three men at once. His movements were sloppy and rigid. He must be on a very strong hangover to be so clumsy. She threw her fork at one of the men who was about to hurl his sword down on her father's head. Her fork hit him in the back. Her father didn't even notice. He wasn't watching his back at all.

Now all she had was a shield.

An enemy soldier came running at her with an impressive looking sword, but was even more impressive was his armor. He must have been the leader since he had on the most beautiful and elaborate armor she ever saw. It was made of gold. What stood out about him the most however, was his silver colored hair, even more than the sword that must have been as long as he was tall.

He leaped off his horse and swung the sword above his head and hurled it down at her. She ducked behind her shield. The sword hit her shield, but she held it angled so that the sword slipped across the surface of her shield and stabbed the ground. She wound up her shoulder and bashed him in the face with her shield. His hand lost grip on his sword and he was forced a few steps back. She wound her arm again and hit him the chest. This time, he was knocked down to his knees. She wound up for one last hit when he stood up straight and caught the edge of her shield. They pushed against each other and he was winning.

She, a woman, was no match for the strength a strong man like he had. So she stomped on his foot. He let out a sort cry and let go of her shield. Now that the only thing stopping the shield was gone, it slammed into his shoulder. She heard a cracking sound. He fell to the ground at her feet and held his dislocated shoulder with his good hand.

By now, all the other cavalry riders were either dead or in the same position as their leader was.

Her father, carrying her fork, came over to her side. Then Liu Bei himself came with Zhuge Liang at his side.

"Who are you?" She demanded as she looked down at the man at her feet.

The man looked up at her and answered;

"Ma Chao of Liang."

"Liang? That's miles away, what are you doing here?" Liu Bei asked.

"I am under orders from Zhang Lu to attack the army of Liu Bei."

"Zhang Lu must have made an alliance with Cao Cao and Liu Zhang." Zhuge Liang concluded.

"Why?" Liu Bei asked.

"Keep Yi under control and to prevent us from setting up a base of operations here." Zhuge Liang explained.

"Zhang Lu's with Cao Cao!" Ma Chao demanded.

Xing Cai was also disturbed by this. Although she had never met the man, she didn't particularly like him. That, was putting it extremely gently through. It was because she was directly related to two of Cao Cao's generals who was a cousin to Cao Cao himself. That made her directly related to Lord Liu Bei's arch enemy. No one in Shu seemed to care, but she did.

"Yes, why does that bother you?" Zhang Fei asked.

There was a pause, but before too long Ma Chao answered;

"He killed my father."

There was an even longer pause. Xing Cai felt for Ma Chao. He had been unknowingly serving the man who killed his father. She spoke out to break the uncomfortable silence, which was out of character for her.

"Lord Liu Bei, Ma Chao has nothing personal against us. How many men do you know of that could sneak up on our main camp like that with a hundred riders? Why not offer to let him join us? After all, he does have a grudge against Cao Cao. He could help us."

Liu Bei smiled and turned to his strategist. Zhuge Liang nodded in approval. Ma Chao was left speechless by the kindness he was shown.

"So how bout it Ma Chao?" Zhang Fei asked.

"I fight to make a world of peace and justice. Will you join me?" Liu Bei asked.

Ma Chao stood up and bowed. He somehow managed to hold his fist in the opposite hand regardless of his dislocated shoulder.

"My Lord, as long as this body still draws breath, I will repay this debt to you."

* * *

Ma Chao will be more important to the story later on, that's why I brought him into the story this early.

See ya later!


	3. Luo Castle

3. Luo Castle

That afternoon Shu surrounded Luo Castle. Most of Liu Zhang's soldiers had deserted. What little soldiers were left, were the archers. Cao Cao's soldier weren't approaching, she was glad for it. That might mean coming face to face with Xiahou Yuan, Cao Cao's general and her great-grandfather. On top of that, Master Guan Yu and Guan Ping were staying! Why couldn't they just pass though like they had before?

Xing Cai decided to focus on the battle in front of her. It didn't require much of her attention though. The arrows that did fall, fell from the wall without aim. Most of the action was happening at the front gate. Shu soldiers jogged to gather supplies to build the rams that would eventually break down the gate and the officers were assembling their soldiers to prepare for the charge that would follow the collapse of the gate. Among them was Ma Chao. He smiled when he saw her coming.

"Master Ma Chao." She greeted.

He smiled and nodded his head.

"I never did thank you for saving my life." He started.

"You don't have to."

"But I want to, thank you Lady Zhang."

She raised her eyebrows at Ma Chao. No one, absolutely no one in the ranks of Shu had ever called her 'Lady Zhang'. Master Huang Zhong had come the closest whenever he would call her 'little lady', but that was it. She was simply Xing Cai.

"Xing Cai will do." She responded.

"Then it's ironic that you always call the generals 'master' and Liu Bei 'lord', but everyone only calls you 'Xing Cai'." He stated.

"Maybe it is, but it's also not that important."

"If titles weren't important to you, then you wouldn't use them as much as you do." He pointed out. "I figure that the least I can do for you after saving my life is to call you by the title you deserve."

She nodded. If that was his way of repaying her, then so be it.

"Will you be leading the charge?" She asked to change the subject.

"No, Master Zhao Yun, Guan Yu and Master Zhang Fei will."

She rolled her eyes. If Zhang Fei was leading the change, then Bao wouldn't be too close behind. Zhao Yun knew how Bao was, so she didn't worry for either his, or Ma Chao's safety. It was herself she was worried about. If Guan Yu was also coming, then Guan Ping would too. How could she fight side by side with him when she could barely breathe around him?

"And what will you be doing Lady Zhang?"

Ugh, he only called her that twice and she was already getting tired of it, was that how she made everyone else feel when she called them by titles?

"I'll be with Master Zhao Yun. Master Zhang Fei says that I'm to stay by his side. He's my mentor. He's been teaching me to hold my own in a battle."

He nodded.

"Hahahaha!"

Zhang Fei's loud bellow laugh rang in her head and made her cringe.

"It won't be long now! Soon we'll have those gates trampled to slivers and this Liu Zhang guy won't be a threat to brother Bei anymore."

She decided not to tell her father that Liu Zhang was never a threat to begin with. Shu was only attacking to set up a home base in the land of Ye. It would be a good place for Shu to plant their roots. Ye was a very fertile land with milder weather than other places. It was mild growing season now. So they couldn't use fire to burn Liu Zhang out or risk losing the crops.

"You can really hold your own in a fight." Zhang Fei started his praise of Master Ma Chao.

Xing Cai didn't want to have anything to do with it however. When Zhang Fei complemented someone, it was because he was drunk, or he wanted something from them. She couldn't imagine what he would want from Ma Chao and she didn't think that he could possibly still be drunk from last night. In either case, she didn't want to be around to find out. However, it wouldn't be fair to leave Ma Chao alone with her father when he didn't really know what kind of man he was.

A hand gently grabbed her shoulder. She turned around to find Zhao Yun.

"Are you ready? The gates will be down soon."

She nodded. Then she turned to see who else was coming. She saw Guan Yu, Ping, Liu Bei and Huang Zhong. She tried to avoid eye contact with Guan Ping. After leaving into the woods with him, she didn't want to give anyone any more reason to whisper about them.

Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang and Yue Ying must all be guarding the camp. How Zhuge Liang managed to keep Wei Yan in the camp, she would never know. Wei Yan was always looking forward to a fight, and all the other Shu soldiers could do was get out of the way of his giant club-like weapon. He may be a good warrior, but he wasn't very intelligent. He acted first and thought later. That's why he and Zhuge Liang didn't get along very well. Wei Yan just killed everyone in front of him that wasn't wearing green, the color of Shu. While Zhuge Liang thought out every movement of the army very carefully. He was always thinking. It made her wonder if he planned out everything in his entire life. Even the way he drank his tea looked to be thought out and rehearsed.

Then there was Liu Bei. He cared so much for the people that he would rather fight in the mountains, where they would have a disadvantage, than fight in a town where there were innocent people. He was excessively gentle, but that is why he has Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Both of his brothers had the strength to carry out the difficult missions that came along with Liu Bei's virtues.

There was also Zhao Yun. He had the same sense of justice Liu Bei had, and he was incorruptible. Nothing anyone could say would make him lose sight of the land of justice he fought for.

Huang Zhong was a simple man. He fought because he wanted glory and a challenge, but he did fight for the man who wanted to bring peace. So he wasn't a blind fighter. He was the one to make sure that no one forgot that he was their elder.

Guan Yu was a giant man of honor and duty. He fought because he wanted peace and because of his close brother hood with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei.

Xing Cai wasn't so sure about why her father fought. There had to be more to him than just that he liked a good battle to improve his mood. She would like to think that he fought so hard because he wanted the land to be united and that he truly believed that it could be, but she knew it was false hope. He was a basic man with no sense of honor. He took Xiahou Ba's niece as a wife when she was fourteen! Not only did he take a child wife, but she was the niece of Cao Cao's general. That made her related to Cao Cao, Liu Bei's mortal arch enemy!

Zhang Bao was simple too. He wanted to live up to their father's reputation but was too cowardly to.

Her other brother, Zhang Shao, was where her hope for the family laid. Although he was too young to fight, she had hopes that he would be a great warrior. Her sister on the other hand, Zhang Xiao, would never have anything to do with a battle as long as she lived. It wasn't that she was too arrogant of selfish to fight, it was that she was blind. Growing up, it had been hard to protect her younger sister, but now she had to leave it to her mother.

Xing Cai refused to think of home right now. She was on a campaign! That's where her mind had to stay. She couldn't let it wander any longer. The gates were about to break down. She had to get herself ready. So she loosened her shoulders and took a tighter hold of her shield and battle fork.

She noticed Guan Ping staring at her just as the gates crumbled. She turned and ran into Luo Castle. Guan Ping followed closely behind her. The two of them fought their way through the streets. Most of Liu Zhang's soldiers fled before them. So the fighting was kept to a minimal. She couldn't help but notice Guan Ping with his halberd. His muscular arms wielded it with great expertise. Guan Yu may have adopted him, but he fought as if he was a blood son of the war god. He used the weight of the halberd to strength his attacks, but didn't rely on it. His feet followed his direction. Everything about him and his movements was well trained and well learned.

By the time they got to the gates of the castle itself, Liu Zhang opened them and surrendered.

"Attacked by family, forced to give up the land of my fathers. Ah! I am sure to be the laughing stalk of future peoples." Liu Zhang stated.

"Master Liu Zhang, forgive me, but my plans have no place for doubt. I shall restore the Han empire and it shall start here in Ye." Liu Bei told him.

Then he turned to address the generals.

"It was an unpleasant battle, but I thank you for your aid. Our future begins here, from Chengdu!"

The generals and the soldiers alike began to settle into Chengdu. The first things that needed to be done was to move everything from the camp into the city. Since Xing Cai didn't have any handmaids, she had to do all the work herself. Taking her tent down wasn't hard, but getting everything packed into the wagon was. Guan Ping came over to help.

"You should be packing your things." She told him as he helped her heave on of her chests into a wagon.

"Unlike you Xing Cai, when I pack for battle, I pack light."

"I've been a part of this campaign for months Guan Ping. My own collection of weapons and armor has been steadily increasing."

"Weapons and armor huh?" He asked.

They lifted the second chest into the wagon. Guan Ping clapped his hands together to get the dust and dirt off. She didn't know that they were that dusty. If she did, she may have cleaned them off before she started packing them again. They started walking back toward her tent to get the last chest.

"Yes weapons and armor. What did you expect?"

He shrugged.

"I was expecting more womanly things."

She gave him a look.

"Like what?"

"Dresses and hair ornaments and other things like that."

She laughed sarcastically.

"New dresses, hair ornaments and other 'womanly things' won't exactly help me in battle will they?" She explained.

Then they heaved the final wooden chest into the back of the wagon.

"Is that everything?" He asked.

"Yes."

They walked around the wagon and climbed up into the bench. Guan Ping took the reins and steered the team of two bay horses toward Chengdu castle. She wasn't sure about letting him drive her to Luo castle, but it was better than driving herself. She didn't like horses. She didn't like how far off the ground she was when she did ride. She didn't like how fast they went and she didn't care for how her toes felt after they were stepped on by a horse. Guan Ping never shared her caution when it came to horses. He was always the one to train the two year olds and ride the young ones.

"Besides, who would buy me pretty dresses? I don't have any time to go to the market and my father spends all the money we brought from home on his wine every night." She continued.

Ping made a face.

"He stills drinks?"

She nodded.

"I thought that last night would have been a special occasion for drinking, but I guess he doesn't need a reason to."

"He doesn't." She agreed. "He'll even brag about his drinking sometimes. It's starting to become really embarrassing. All the other generals discuss battle strategies while he babbles on about how a good drink will improve his mood."

Ping only nodded. He drove the horses through the streets and up to Luo castle where he stopped them in the courtyard. They both jumped down from the wagon. She began to unload her things when he came to help her again.

"Do you know the way to your chambers?"

"Yes. My father had me put in the room across from his own and next to my brother."

They both grabbed one of the handles of her chests and started carrying it through the halls. They went up the stairs to the far wing and went down the hall that led north. When they came to the northeast corner, her chambers was the furthest down the hall. Guan Ping opened the door and let them in. Her chambers were fairly basic. There was a bed under the window that looked out to the eastern mountains. A simple desk with a wooden stool was next to the bed. There was a small table with a bowl and a basin across from it. The room itself seemed homey enough with the dark wood trimming and blue-green walls.

"Where do you want it?" Ping asked her, referring to the chest.

"We'll just line them up at the foot of the bed."

It took them an hour to get all three heavy wood chests into the room. It wouldn't have taken them all long if her chambers were closer to the courtyard. Guan Ping commented on it.

"Your father must not want you sneaking out."

"Why, I haven't sneaked out since I was thirteen?"

"Do you remember the last time you did?"

She couldn't help but smile.

"Yes, that's one night I'll never forget as long as I live."

"It was the one night that neither you nor I did what we were told." Ping added.

She didn't like that. He should try disobeying her father. It was never a pleasant thing. If he thought her father was violent when he was drunk, the he should hear the things he said to her when she was caught disobeying him.

"Thank you for the help Guan Ping. I'm very tired, so I'll be taking a nap before dinner."

* * *

Bay horses are brown with black manes, trails and legs. Fun fact for the day for any of you who did know! As the story goes, I'll explain the horse terminology that I use so that everyone can read this story and understand it.

To Vampiregirl2009: Thanks for the idea! I'll try and work Cao Pi into the story for you. It will probably be during the battle of the Wuzhang plains. I did find a place for Sun Quan after the battle of Mai castle. I didn't do a whole lot with him yet, but he'll have a bigger role at the battle of Baidi castle.


	4. Riding Lessons

4. Riding Lessons

She had said that she was only napping till dinner, but she didn't go at all. No one came knocking on her door, so she didn't need to come up some sort of excuse. She had one ready if someone did. She would tell them that she wasn't feeling well and she just needed to rest. Since she had the whole afternoon and evening to herself, she decided that now was as good of a time as any to write a letter to her sister, Zhang Xiao. She wrote about the battle and how Bao deserted her, but she also wrote about Ma Chao defecting to Shu. She avoided writing about Guan Ping, but her mind couldn't stay away.

After a few hours, she had what she thought was a good letter. She wasn't a very good writer. Her characters were good, but they never did spell out anything extraordinary. She would send the letter tomorrow, and by now, the sun was beginning to set. So she put on her black nightgown and crawled into bed. She didn't dream very often, and tonight was no exception. Her sleep came and went like the rocking of a ship. There were times that she thought she was awake, but was actually in some twisted place between consciousness and sleep.

Then there was a voice. She popped her eyes opened when she realized that it was coming from her window. She sat up in her bed and looked out into the darkness.

"Xing Cai!"

"Guan Ping, what are you doing? You're going to get us both in trouble."

"You don't know what I'm doing, so how do you know that it would get us in trouble?" He challenged.

"I know that you want be to sneak out with you again."

"If you already knew, then why haven't you climbed out the window yet?"

"Because I have no intention to." She retorted.

"Are you afraid?"

"No…"

"Then what are you waiting for? You're a better tree climber than anyone I know. This tree has so many branches that maybe even Liu Shan could get up and down it."

She didn't respond. She didn't know how. If she snuck out with him, who could know what would become of it? If she didn't, she knew that she would wish she would have and he may never ask her to again. Knowing Guan Ping, he spent a couple hours to gather the confidence he needed to ask her to sneak off with him. So, she decided to reward his bravery. Bravery was a very valued characteristic in Shu after all. Liu Bei praised Zhao Yun for his. No one would praise her for this, ever. She knew that, but at least his courage would be in this.

"Give me a minute."

She ducked back into her room and found some of her boots. She slipped them on and tied them tightly around her ankles. There really wasn't much else she needed, so she stepped up on the bed and went out the window. The hardest part always was to get from the roof to the tree branch. However, this tree was a long ways from the roof, it would be next to impossible, but that's what made it fun. She grabbed the nearest branch and slowly eased her weight onto it until she was dangling off of it. She worked her way to the center of the tree and slowly made her way down. Her bare legs and arms brushed against the rough bark. Her normally neatly done hair was left undone and covered her eyes.

When she got to the base of the tree, she saw that Ping had turned his back to her so that she would know he wasn't looking up her skirt. She pushed off the tree and jumped to the ground with a soft thud. Ping spun and took her hand.

"Follow me."

He took her east, away from the castle and into the woods. His fingers were wrapped arms hers. His hand was a little sweaty, but warm against the cold of the night. She was in the sleeves nightgown that only covered half of her thighs. What was she thinking? Couldn't she have at least grabbed a shall or something?

They emerged from the trees and came to a meadow. She froze. In the middle of the meadow was Guan Ping's dark sorrel mare, Star, who was named after the white diamond shaped star on her forehead. Star had her bridle on, but no saddle. What was Guan Ping planning?

"Ping, what are you…"

"Come on Cai. Tonight I'm going to get you to ride."

She took a few steps back.

"I know you're just trying to help me, but I don't need it, and if I wanted to ride again, I'll have either Zhao Yun or Ma Chao help me."

Zhao Yun was one of the legendary white riders of Gongsun Zan and Ma Chao had proven himself to be the best horsemen she had ever seen. There was Guan Yu too. He was the only one who could manage to ride Red Hare. Of course, Guan Yu taught everything to Ping. So there were plenty of men in Shu who could teach her to ride. If she wanted to that is.

"Ping, I just can't. Not after the accident."

"You're still afraid after six months?"

"Gee, I was loping my horse through the country side when I saw a rodent hole. I didn't want my horse to break her leg by tripping into it so I pulled her to the side so sharp that she slipped in the mud. She landed on my leg. Then she got up and stood by me until someone found me because I couldn't stand up again. I wasn't able to walk without a limp for weeks. You have no idea what's it like to be unable to stand up with no one there to help you while you're in agony. Feeling that helpless changes a person."

"You didn't break your foot." He pointed out.

"But I almost shattered it and I twisted my ankle so hard that I can still feel pain in it once in a while."

"Even now?"

"Why do you think I always have to wear shoes that go up to my knees, or up to my ankles at least? I wouldn't be able to walk right after a few hours if I didn't have the support."

"And that's why you should learn to ride again. If you can't walk very well, then you could ride."

She paused for a moment.

"I can't. Having my foot in the stirrup makes my ankle hurt as bad as it did the day of the accident."

"That's why you can ride without a saddle." He reasoned.

"Ping, I don't want to learn to ride again. Besides, riding without a saddle in a battle would be impossible. No one's ever done it."

There was a long pause. He slowly made his way back over to her.

"Then you can ride with me. I'll do the reining and you can even hold on to me for balance. You've always been so fearless Xing Cai. You can't let your fear control you. In a kingdom of expert horsemen, you don't want them to think that they can top you do you? Don't forget that horses are invaluable in battle. They can be the difference between victory and defeat."

She never thought of it like that. It was true. A horse could carry her faster and further than she could ever run, especially with her bad ankle.

"Come on."

He took her hand and pulled her over to Star. Her heart pounded, but he was right. She couldn't let her fear control her. This new mind set was the only reason she let him give her a leg up onto Star's back. She scoot herself back so that Ping had enough room to get in front of her. He jumped up and took the mare's reins in his hands. Xing Cai grabbed the fabric of his sleeves.

"Nothing more than a walk." She whispered.

He nodded, but she decided to push her point some more because a mere nod wasn't enough to convince her that he was talking her serious.

"If you try anything, I'll jump off and you'll never get me on a horse again."

"Alright." He agreed.

He steered Star north and kept his part of the deal by keeping the mare at a slow walk. With every stride and every jilt, her stomach sank to her feet or rose to her throat. She tried not to focus on it, but what else was there to focus on? Everything she could possibly think of would lead her back to the fact that she was riding again. No accidents she knew of ever happened at a walk, but what if it did this time? All she would have to do is hurt her right ankle again and she knew that she wouldn't get so lucky.

Guan Ping pulled Star to a halt as they reached the top of a hill.

"Take my arm." He told her.

She grabbed his arm with both hands. He slid her off of Star's back and lowered her to the ground. Then he slid off too and let Star graze on the grass. He sat down on the grass and looked up at the sky.

"The stars are brighter here." He told her.

She laid down next to him, but stayed half an arm's length away.

"Xing Cai, do you remember that one night when we snuck out last time?" He asked.

She smiled.

"I do."

She remembered that night very well. Lord Liu Bei and Master Guan Yu had come to the house for to visit for a few days. Liu Bei had brought Liu Shan and Lady Gan, Shan's mother who died four years ago. Guan Yu had brought Guan Ping and Guan Xing. There were seven teens who outnumbered the adults by two. Cai's mother and Lady Gan cooked the majority of the day. Zhang Fei, Guan Yu and Liu Bei had spent the afternoon in the peach garden, while all the teens took the horses out for some races. She didn't ride though. Instead, she narrated everything for her sister. When they went back to the house, they were all sent to bed without dinner.

That night, Guan Ping came to her room and brought her out to the barn where they meet up with the others to go into town for some food. They took a wagon and the team of horses to town and ate at one of the late night restaurant. Little did they know that the pub was celebrating the owners birthday with free drinks. Bao, Shao and Xing had all gotten drunk. So she and Ping had to load them back into the wagon after they passed out. Yun had been depending on Shan to help her around. Although he had never had to care for a blind person before, he seemed to learn fast.

Then it was only a few more hours until Ping became a little tipsy. They slipped from the restraint and spent an hour or so in a hallway, but they didn't behave too dishonorably.

When morning came, she and Xiao brought all the boys home, but didn't take them to their rooms. Liu Bei had been the first to find all five boys lying in the wagon with the horses still in their driving harness. She and Xiao had gone to bed and watched from the window as they were scolded. Of course, she had to narrate a few things for Xiao, but the majority of the scene was said in very loud words.

She and Xiao had to help their mother and Lady Gan fix up a kind of 'sobering potion' for the boys. They all threw up seconds after finishing it. So none of them were quite back to normal till late that evening. By then they remembered that she and Xiao had also snuck out, but they wouldn't say anything since they were afraid she and Xiao knew something they didn't remember and didn't want to get into any more trouble.

Xing Cai rolled to her side to face Guan Ping.

"Have you been that drunk since?" She asked him.

"No, and if it means anything now, I hadn't been that drunk before then either."

"You haven't been drunk since then?"

"No, why? You just told me this afternoon how you hate your father's drinking."

"Did you never get drunk again because of how you know I hate how my father does?" She asked up front.

She had to know. That incident at the restaurant had happened a few years ago. Maybe it was because of that that Bao now behaved like he did. She and Xiao had only thought it was a good chance to get back at the boys working the horses so hard. At least now she had an idea why Bao was so determined to embarrass her. He wanted payback for her leaving him in the wagon to be found by their lord. So he wanted to embarrass her in front of Liu Bei by saying he had to save her. Fine, they were even now.

"No, I know that you don't like it when people drink." He explained.

"It's not that I don't like it when people drink, it's that I don't like when they drink so much that they forget about their duties. Otherwise, some people can be a lot of fun when they drink."

"Am I one of those people?" He asked.

She smiled.

"Do you remember the hallway?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He smiled too.

"It was real then?"

"Guan Ping!" She squealed as she hit his shoulder.

"Just kidding, but that morning after when I wrote up in the wagon, I thought it may have been a dream. Then when I saw you blushing as my father was yelling at me and Xing, I knew that I hadn't just been my imagination."

"Was I that obvious?"

"Well, I haven't met a single woman who was able to hide their first kiss the morning after."

"You weren't particularly inspiring either." She combated.

She rolled onto her back to help prove her point, but then Ping rolled to his shoulder to face her.

"Then I'll let you know that I've gotten better."

"I noticed back at the camp." She replied.

"You've gotten better too."

She suddenly got an idea.

"I would hope so. I've been practicing."

"On who?" Ping asked sounding a little worried.

She flipped on her shoulder. They were barely inches apart. He stared at her as she let the suspension rise for a few long seconds in her silence.

"Who?" He asked again.

"Your brother!"

She laughed at his face. They both went back onto their backs and stared up at the stars.

"How's Xing?" She asked him.

"He should be coming here in a few days time. Father says that he's ready for his first battle. Do you know where it's going to be at?"

"Um, no. Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei are still working on settling in here aren't they? I mean, we just got here. We can't move on with the campaign until we have a strong enough base in Ye that Cao Cao won't attack us."

"If you went to dinner, then you would now." He told her.

"Liu Bei announced his next move!" She asked urgently.

"No, but if you went then you would know."

"Ugh!"

"But Liu Bei did say what whatever he and Zhuge Liang did decide on, it wouldn't be done for at least another two years. Wu and Wei are really getting at it. With Wei being really weak from Chi Bi, Wu might be able to finish them off."

"Then what?" She asked. "Will the treaty still be in effect? Liu Bei is technically still married to Sun Quan's sister, Sun Shang Xiang."

"Have you ever seen them together?" He asked.

"No, not after the stunt she pulled at Changban."

"Exactly, if they divorce, then that treaty may as well be used for fire kindling."

There was a long pause.

"What are you going to do if we have two years before another battle?" He eventually asked.

"I'll probably go home and see my mother and my sister."

She was anxious to see her brother again. It had been almost a year and a half since she saw him last. She couldn't imagine him now. He was sixteen now and Yun was thirteen. She was eighteen and so was Ping. Bao was twenty. Xing was seventeen. Shan was nineteen.

"What about you?" She asked. "What will you do if you get to go on leave for a while?"

"I'll probably go and see Xing. He's been training pretty hard so that if we do go home, he'll return with us."

He let out a sigh.

"I suppose I should get you back to Luo castle."

He stood up and offered her his hand. She took it, but he pulled her up so hard that she was thrown off balance. Very conveniently for Ping though since he was in the perfect position to catch her and he took full advantage of it. His hands found their way to her waist to steady her. She avoided looking at the smile that she knew was on his face.

He realized that he wasn't going to sneak a kiss from her and let her go, but he did manage to get one from her when he got her back to the castle before sun up. She could only hope that none of Liu Bei's scouts saw them.

x

It was noon before Zhang Xing Cai finally emerged from her chambers. First thing she did was send the letter to her sister. Then she went down to the dining hall. She ate her lunch hungrily and listened as the other generals as they discussed things to do in Chengdu. There were a few different pubs and restaurants. There were also some dinner shows and the theater. In the middle of the city there was the market place where a little bit of everything was sold and traded. They also discussed other things when they were done with entertainment. They talked of the training some of the soldiers needed and the new horses that needed to be ridden in the stable.

Xing Cai was sitting in-between her brother and Ma Chao. Zhang Fei was on the other side of Bao from her. Zhao Yun sat across from Zhang Fei. Next to Zhao Yun was Guan Yu. Across from Xing Cai was Guan Ping. She avoided looking him in the eye and had to prepare herself for whenever she did. For once, she found herself scared by him. She had always had courage, but now she was fearful. She was afraid that she would give everything away by the look in her eyes.

She looked down the table and saw all the other generals of Shu, including some that she didn't know, but Zhuge Liang was nowhere to be seen. Lady Huang was, but not Zhuge Liang himself. Neither was Lord Liu Bei.

After a while, Lord Liu Bei came into the dining hall. Everyone stood up. Liu Bei raised his hand to gesture them all to sit. They obeyed.

"I just want all of you to know, Cao Cao's southern campaign continues. Wei had once again met Wu at Hefei. So Lord Zhuge Liang and I have agreed to stay here for a time before moving on. Also, I would like to let all of you know that my son, Liu Shan, will be arriving this afternoon."

He looked at her, she looked away. That was clearly an order requesting her presence for his arrival, but what did he want with her? She hadn't seen Liu Shan since the pub.

* * *

This story must really suck because I have only gotten reviews from one person! You're the best vampiregirl2009! I don't want to give up on it, especially since I was planning on bring Liu Shan into this, but it's hard to keep going when only one person is reading it.

A sorrel horse is a brown horse with a red tint. Technically, there is no such thing as a 'red' horse. The closest official color that would describe an all 'red' horse like Red Hare is called a red dun. Yeah, horse people can be really anal about these kinds of things. I don't get it, but now you know.

A 'star' on a horse describes a white, usually circular, marking on a horse's forehead.


	5. Lord Liu Shan

5. The Young Lord Liu Shan

When she heard that Liu Shan's traveling party was approaching, she left to her chambers to change. She wasn't normally one to worry about what she looked like, but she was now since she didn't want to give Liu Zhan the wrong impression. She didn't want him to think she was that same little girl she used to be. She was a warrior of Shu before she was a lady of Shu. So she put on her green and gold colored armor and pulled her very black hair away from her face.

Then she went out into the courtyard. She was glad to find that she wasn't the only one that Liu Bei wanted present to meet his son's arrival. Zhang Fei, Zhang Bao, Guan Yu, Guan Ping, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and Ma Chao were all there too. It was quite the greeting party for the young lord. Zhang Fei, Bao, Guan Yu and Guan Ping all stood in a circle as they discussed the battle going on in Hefei. Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong and Ma Chao stood in a group by themselves as they talked about Liu Shan's arrival. Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang were discussing some matters of the court that she didn't find particularly interesting. So she went over to where Zhao Yun was standing.

"What is the young lord like?" Ma Chao asked.

"Imagine a mild Zhang Fei as a nineteen year old." Zhao Yun answered. "Would that be accurate Xing Cai?"

"I didn't know my father when he was nineteen." She pointed out.

"True, how would you describe Liu Shan?" He asked.

She thought of how he was the last one to get drunk at the pub.

"I don't think that Liu Shan can be accurately compared to the other generals of Shu. He's more like Lord Liu Bei I think." She explained.

"But he is a little more reckless in his youth than our lord was." Huang Zhong added.

Huang Zhong never let anyone forget that he was their senior. It made her smile most times, but once in a while it got pretty old. Zhao Yun never seemed to mind, and since he and Ma Chao were becoming close friends, they were often seen together. Even if that meant they had to listen to Huang Zhong's old war stories. Ma Chao usually seemed to be less than interested. Luckily for both of them, Huang Zhong didn't start one of his old stories, but just in case, she changed the subject.

"Are you going to train Liu Shan?" She asked Zhao Yun.

He gave a small nod.

"Yes, Lord Liu Bei asked me to teach him to fight so that he can hold his own in the next fight."

"He's going to be a part of the campaign from now on?" She asked with raised eyebrows.

Liu Shan was a gentle man. To her, he seemed far too gentle to be a part of a battle. She couldn't imagine him actually killing someone, even if they were a foot soldier from the ranks of Wei.

Then she heard the sound of iron horse shoes on cobblestone. She turned and saw at least two dozen soldiers following behind an older looking Liu Shan who was riding on a tall dapple grey mare with the same elaborate barding as Hex Mark.

"Father."

Liu Shan stepped down off of his saddle and met his father's hug. After a short second, they parted.

"I congratulate you on your victory."

"Thank you Shan, but I couldn't have done it without my generals."

Wow, Liu Bei and Shan had a much more formal relationship now than they had before. It was probably because Shan had matured since she last saw him. In fact, if he wasn't wearing the green armor of a Shu officer, she wouldn't have recognized him at all. He was very different from the boy who got drunk at the pub.

Liu Bei began the introductions.

"Shan, I'm sure you remember brothers Fei, Yu and his son, Ping."

Shan smiled as the three mighty men put their fists in their hand and bowed.

"Of course, how could I forget?"

"This is Zhao Yun." Liu Bei continued.

"You've grown since Changban." Zhao Yun stated as he also bowed.

Shan bowed to him in return.

"And it's thanks to you that I had a chance to."

"And this is Huang Zhong." Liu Bei introduced the old general who also bowed. "And this is Ma Chao, who just joined us recently."

Liu Shan's face grew a little tight. To try and ease his concern, Ma Chao bowed a little lower than everyone before him. Zhuge Liang stepped forward and lowered his head.

"I have high hopes for master Ma Chao." The master strategist defended.

Liu Shan didn't look convinced, but the wrinkles on his face faded slightly.

"Well, if Zhuge Liang trusts him, but is he any good?"

"Master Ma Chao is a expect horseman. He led a few hundred cavalry riders into our main camp without us knowing. No one's managed to sneak up on any us before to the extent Ma Chao did, and as far as his loyalties go, I trust him." She cut in.

Liu Shan raised his eyebrows at her in surprise.

"Xing Cai? I barely recognized you."

She looked away. She had hoped his reaction was from her defense of Ma Chao, but it was only her appearance he had noticed. She had to respond to him though, and if anything, she had changed the subject.

"It has been a few years."

They had been long years too. A lot had happened. His mother died. She and Ping had both become warriors of Shu and Liu Bei now had his own land to call 'home'.

"The years have done good things for you."

Everyone fell silent. Everyone was staring at her. What should she do! Her young lord was making sweet talk to her in front of all the generals! She couldn't tell him off, but she couldn't encourage his behavior either. So she decided to take this conversation in another direction.

"Yes, thanks to Master Zhao Yun's training and hours of hard work, I have become a force to be reckoned with on the battle field."

Signs of relief could be seen on some of the generals, including Guan Ping.

"It's true. I don't normally like to admit about being beat at a fight, but Xing Cai was the one to bring me to my knees." Ma Chao added.

The mood of the conversation turned noticeably lighter. She was glad that everyone was no longer talking about her. They now discussed plans for diner. Liu Bei hired some musicians to come play for them. Xing Cai saw this as her opportunity to slip from the courtyard and go for a walk out in the streets of the city. A few people stared at her. They probably weren't used to seeing a woman in armor. If that was the case, then they were going to have to get used to it, because unless Liu Bei let her go on leave, she would be staying right here for a long time.

She decided that the market place was as good of a place to go to as any. So she turned to the main street. The first vendors she came to were selling food. Food wasn't a problem her since she would have meals provided for her. So she continued on. There were two vendors in front of her. One sold jewelry and the other sold armor. She went to the vendor with the armor and tried on a few different pairs of bracers. They all were too big around her wrists. Since her armor was constantly getting damaged or lost, she was always on a search for armor that fit. It didn't matter if it matched or not, Lady Huang could fix that for her, she just needed armor that fit. She would just have to have some made for her.

She looked up and saw Lady Huang looking at the vendor who was selling the dresses. So she went over to her.

"Lady Huang." She greeted.

"Ah, Xing Cai. I didn't see you there. How are you?"

"Fine… Um, Lady Huang I have a favor I need to ask you."

"Sure, what is it?"

"Well, you see… I need some help. You know that Lord Liu Bei's having a really fancy diner tonight and… I don't have anything to wear to it."

Lady Huang gave her a look that made her regret asking for her help.

"I'm not exactly a professional dresser, but I'll give it a try."

Lady Huang clearly wasn't any dresser, she usually tailored robes for Zhuge Liang or armor for Xing Cai, but by working together, they managed to put together an appropriate outfit for her to wear to the dinner.

Normally whenever Xing Cai was in doubt over what to wear, she usually just wore armor. That way, she would fit in with Zhang Fei and Bao, but tonight. Tonight she wanted to wear something from that would be considered a more 'normal' wardrobe belonging to woman of her age. That thing ended up being a cool green colored dress with a square cut collar and black lacing. She decided that wearing a dress was enough of a change for one night and she didn't need to add some fancy jewelry. So she combed through her hair and slipped on some shoes.

She left her chambers just as she heard some music begin to play. Dinner was normally a casual meal in Shu, much like everything else, but tonight dinner was more like a feast. There were many circular tables set up in the hall that normally only had one long one. Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang and Lady Huang all sat at the table closest to the musicians. Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong and Wei Yan sat at another. Guan Ping, Liu Shan and Zhang Bao sat at one of the tables in the back. She sat down at the table in the back since she wanted Guan Ping to see her in her new 'womanly' dress.

She felt Ping's eyes on her as she sat down in the spare seat next to Zhang Bao. He didn't give her any notice. Instead, he continued his conversation with Liu Shan about Shan's training.

"Zhao Yun has agreed to train me. He's clearly done a fine job with you and Cai. I'm just worried that he might not have the time to teach me while he has hundreds of foot soldiers to train also."

"Don't worry, Zhao Yun wouldn't agree to teach you to fight unless he was sure he had the time to. Besides, with Ma Chao training most of the horses now, he should have more than enough time for you." Bao reasoned.

Shan shifted uncomfortably.

"I know that I can trust you three, so I'm going to ask you upfront. I know that he has exceptional skill and leadership, but can Ma Chao be trusted?"

"Yes." The three of them all said at the same time.

"Are you sure, what makes you trust him?"

There was a pause. Xing Cai was the one that answered Liu Shan.

"He's a man of justice. Cao Cao killed his father."

"How do you know he serves justice and not himself?" Shan challenged.

She didn't really want to answer it, but she knew she had to.

"He was serving justice when he attacked us. After all, we were attacking Liu Zhang, who never did anything to us."

"You're saying that my father was wrong!" Shan demanded.

"He said himself; 'Shu has to take this land even at the expense of virtue'. Yes, it was unjust for us to take this land of Chengdu from Liu Zhang, but Liu Bei will put it to better use. He'll restore the Han. I think that justifies Shu, but Ma Chao didn't know. So with the knowledge he had at the time, he was serving justice."

Liu Shan nodded.

"Maybe you are right, but I had to make sure."

"All the officers of Shu are loyal to your father. If we weren't, we wouldn't be here. We serve your father well just as we will serve you one day." Ping added.

Shan seemed to become settled by that.

The meal was served. Rich varieties of chicken, beef and vegetables were served over rice and noodles. The tea was still steaming as it was given to them.

"You know," Guan Ping started. "This is the first time the four of us have been together since we snuck out to the pub… and I've heard of a pub here in Chengdu that has a pretty similar set up."

Bao smiled.

"For the sake of old times?" Her brother asked.

Ping gave them all a look.

"Shall we meet at the front gate as soon as dinner's over?"

They all agreed.

* * *

There, the stage had finally been set! Now it's time for things to get interesting.

Danielle Wolf, I finally figured out how to bring Cao Pi into this for you! He'll kidnap her and all, but I don't think that she'll become the Queen of Wei. My Xing Cai is loyal to Shu through and through.

A dapple grey horse describes a grey colored horse with lighter blotches. Dapples can appear on any color of horse though. In dw5, Hex Mark was a dapple grey, but in dw6, he's a simply a grey horse. White would work to describe him, but white horses actually have pink noses. Grey horses have white coats and a grey nose.


	6. Drinking Game

6. Drinking Game

By then, the moon was clearly visible among the many twinkling stars of the sky. The air was cool, but not uncomfortably so. Xing Cai was the second one to get to the front gate. Bao managed to get there before her. He frowned when he saw her coming.

"Why are you coming?"

"Ping invited all of us." She reminded.

He made an angry sound.

"Are you still mad at me and Xiao for leaving you and the other boys in the wagon?"

He turned away. Even in the dark, she could see that his face had turned red.

"Well I'm sorry that me and Xiao were the only ones who didn't need to be dragged home because we weren't drunk. We saw it as a good opportunity to get back at you for making us drag you around and smell your vomit on the way home. It's not as if we got off completely clear either. Who do you think it was to pay for your drinks and make your 'sobering potions'?"

He didn't respond. So she continued pressing her point until he lashed back out.

"Do you have any idea how bad the smell was on the way...?"

"It's not the stupid pub, Cai!" He interrupted. "Sure I'm still annoyed by it and all, but that's not it."

"What is it then?"

There was a short pause before he answered her,

"It's that you can charge into battle without looking back. It's that you look death in the eye and don't falter. When I see danger, I run."

He sat down on one of the nearby crates. Everything about him was seeping with defeat. She was shocked. She wasn't expecting this of all things.

"It's nothing that I did?" She asked, still partly shocked. "Then why did you embarrass me like that in front of all the Shu generals back in the camp?"

He didn't answer. She shouldn't have asked because she already knew why he did it anyway. He wanted to make himself feel better by putting her down. That was human nature, but at least now she knew that she hadn't done anything to make him angry at her. His courage, or lack thereof, was his own fault. This meant that he had no right to embarrass her. If she had done something, she maybe she would have deserved it.

"How do you do it Cai? How do you charge into battle and not think anything of it? Aren't you afraid of what's going to happen next?" He asked.

She paused.

"No."

"How?"

"Because I know that no matter what happens to me, as long as Lord Liu Bei achieves his dreams, that's all that matters. Doing my part is all that matters."

"Duty above all else?" He asked.

"Duty above all else." She confirmed.

It was what Zhao Yun told them when they first began their training all those years ago. Zhao Yun told her to use those words to bury her fear and focus on the task ahead of her. However, the task ahead of her now was drink. For Liu Shan and Guan Ping just came.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready." She answered.

"You three go ahead, I think that I'm going to go to bed." Bao told them.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've got some work to do early tomorrow morning. Besides, someone's got to make sure that the rest of you get back to the castle."

Before the other three had a chance to object to him, he stood up and left. He probably needed some time for self meditation. Not the kind that you sit crossed legged and try to find 'inner peace'. The kind of meditation that allows you to refocus on the bigger picture of the battles you face. If he could understand that as a warrior, he was only a pawn in an ever changing game of war, then maybe he could find his courage. Then he could understand that his own life wasn't as important as the goal.

Guan Ping and Liu Shan turned to her for an explanation. So she gave them one, but the truthful one. This was pretty personal stuff that was going on with Bao. She wouldn't want him telling everyone her problems, not that she let him know them in the first place, so she wasn't going to go telling everyone his.

"He's still tired from the battle."

Both men nodded. Then the three of them left out the gate and wondered the streets until Guan Ping pointed them to a particularly large building with many people gathering to it. She noticed that most of the people gathering to the pub weren't more than five years older than they were.

They decided that to gather such a crowd, it must be better than the other pubs for some reason. So they walked through the doorway and found an open table in the corner. They sat down. It wasn't a few minutes before one of the serving girls came. That's what was so good about the place, fast, good-looking service. She shook her head and smiled. That was so typical.

"We'll have one jug of wine with three cups." Liu Shan told her as he handed the serving girl the necessary coins.

The girl took the coins and left. It barely took her a minute to return with a large ceramic pot and three jugs. Liu Shan poured them each a cup and handed it to them.

"To Shu." He toasted.

"To Shu!" Both she and Guan Ping chorused.

They all took a long gulp of the red wine. Then they put their cups on the surface of the table to start their conversation.

"Now, Guan Ping, I understand that your brother will be coming soon." Liu Shan started.

"Yes. He and Zhang Shao have been training together for some time. Zhang Fei and my father think that they're ready for their first battle." Ping told him.

They all took a few drinks from their wine.

"And Cai, how's your sister?" The young lord asked her.

"I received a letter from my mother a while back saying that they redid the house somehow so that Zhang Xiao could get around and help with the chores."

"How?" Ping asked.

"My mother said that she lined all halls with rugs in the middle so that Xiao will know where to walk. She also said that she hung different kinds of chimes in different rooms so that she knows where she is. They also had some stone walkways put down outside from the front door to the well so that Xiao can get the water. It's hard, but Xiao's getting used to it."

Shan nodded.

"Good, now that we're all caught up with each other…" He poured them more wine. "Let's play a drinking game. I know a pretty good one, it's called 'truth and lies'. First we pick a person, then that person tells us two different things about themselves or two different stories. Then the others have to figure out which one was the truth and which is the lie. If they get it right, the liar takes a drink. If they get it wrong, then the guessers do." He explained.

"So then the two guessers have to agree on which statement is the lie?" Ping asked.

"No, they don't have to. Usually, each of them takes their own guess. Besides, this is a drinking game. The rules will bend to our convenience as we get further into it." Shan figured.

Then he turned to face her.

"Cai, you go first."

She thought for a moment. Since they both knew her so well, she would have to tell a story since they could more than likely tell if she was lying about herself.

"Alright, here's my first one. Once, when I was young, I accidently got ink on one of my mothers dresses while I was practicing my calligraphy and never told her because she didn't notice. My second one is that one time, I left the door open of my father's horse's stall and he got out. So I blamed Bao and Shao for it."

x

After an hour or two, or three, maybe even four, the game became loud and the stories turned short. As Liu Shan had predicted, the rules bent to their convenience. They started drinking wither or not they were supposed to or not supposed to. They started drinking at the beginning of the stories and at the end and when they guessed which were true, and which weren't. After a while more, the stories stopped making sense to her.

After a while more, they made perfect sense, but she couldn't remember them long enough to remember which one she thought was the truth and which she thought was the lie. So she drank after the stories just in case she was wrong.

"Look, it's our dads!"

Ping pointed at the door. Her eyes were wide as she turned just on time to see Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei all walk through the door.

"I think that this blast from the past has lasted long enough. I'd rather not relive what's about to happen." Shan said.

She and Ping agreed. The three of them managed to get to their feet, but getting to the door without being seen was going to be harder. They kept their heads low and stumbled through the door way. She almost ran right into Liu Bei. Actually she did, but all Liu Bei saw was a drunken girl.

"Easy there." He said as he put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from running further into him.

She kept her face low and rushed a few steps forward. He hadn't seen her. She breathed a sigh of relief and followed after Guan Ping and Liu Shan. At least, that's who she remembered being with.

The three of them went down street after street but couldn't find Luo castle.

"You would think that finding a castle wouldn't be so hard!" She told them.

"AH!"

Shan tripped on a loose brick of the cobblestone and landed on his back somehow.

"Help me up." He ordered.

She and Ping tried to take hold of his flailing arms.

"Stop moving." Ping told him.

"I'm not!" Shan insisted.

Just then she found one of his arm. She started pulling. After another minute, she got him to his feet, but lost her own balance and almost fell.

"Whoa, easy there." Ping said as she held her waist to steady her.

She laughed out at the fact that once again, he caught her by the waist.

"It seems like you always have to be there to catch me."

They turned another corner. That's as much as she remembered. Nothing seemed to happen after that.

Okay, so this chapter is pointless to the story. I just thought that it would be fun for Cai to go out drinking with the two men who were most important in her life!


	7. Peace Between Peoples

7. Peace Between Peoples

A bright light shined on her face. She moaned as she rolled over to turn away, but the light only became brighter. How could it be brighter? She just rolled over. Shouldn't it be darker on this side?

"Wake up, Xing Cai!"

The voice was so distorted in her mind that she couldn't tell whose it was. It rung in her head like and echo in a cave and it only made her head hurt even more. Ugh, why couldn't whoever it was just leave her alone?

"Come on Cai, now it's my turn to enjoy a practical joke."

She mumbled someone to the effect of 'leave me alone', but she wasn't sure. It could have been anything. Wait a minute! How'd she get back in her bed? The last thing she remembered from last night was when Ping took her waist to prevent her from falling, again. After that, she couldn't find anything in her mind. So, who was trying to wake her up?

She rolled over and opened her heavy eyelids. She barely believed who she saw once the blur cleared.

"Bao?"

He smiled.

"Yup, this time, it was me to get the three of you home. Although, I was tempted to just leave you in the hall. If you wouldn't have been able to walk, then I would have, but since you could…" He voice trailed off. "Now get dressed. You'll want to put on something more casual, you won't want your nice dress to get ruined."

He turned and let himself out, closing the door behind him. What did he mean when he said she might get her dress ruined if she didn't change? Since she wasn't really in a position to do otherwise, she got out of bed, holding onto anything she could find for support and made her way to her wooden trunk. She pulled her dress off and slipped on another. It was a blue-green color with short sleeves and a thin gold colored belt. She kicked her green one to the side and weaved over to her door. She pushed the door open, hoping Bao was gone, but he wasn't.

"Come on."

He grabbed her arm and led her down the hall. He was either leading her in circles, he may have been for all she knew, or her head was spinning. It was most likely her head since the halls of Luo castle really weren't that winding compared to others. Then she realized that she wasn't in Luo castle anymore, Bao had led her into the western woods.

"What are we doing here?"

Bao stopped and smiled.

"When I was drunk, I had to have one of mother's 'sobering potions'. Now you get to try it."

He held up a cup with a thick dark liquid inside it.

"You're not going to make me drink it in front of everyone?" She questioned.

He shook his head.

"Nope, not this time. This time I want to be the only one to see you. So I brought you out here so that it won't have to be cleaned up."

Alright, if anything, she did deserve this much. So she took the cup and raised it to her lips. Ugh, just the smell alone made her want to throw up. Regardless, she began drinking. Before she even swallowed half of it, she dropped it and fell to her knees.

Bao held his nose while he laughed as they met her dinner again.

x

They spent at least an hour in the woods, and by that time she was almost sober again. At the very least, her stomach was empty. She was starving, but wasn't sure it she'd be able to hold down a meal. Her ehad felt much clearer and it wasn't spinning any longer. Her vision was also considerably better.

When neither one of them could handle the smell any longer, they both decided to leave and go back to the castle.

"There, now we're even."

Xing Cai wasn't sure if she would that 'even'. She had embarrassed him in front of their lord, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, but she wasn't going to point that out. Then she thought of what Bao had said by the fire and how he made her sound like a damsel in distress in front of all the Shu generals. Okay, they were even.

"I'm amazed that you'd held this grudge against me all these years." She told him.

Bao only laughed some more. Wasn't that supposed to be a girl thing? Guys just fought it out and were best friends again the next day if not sooner. Girls were the ones that were supposed to hate each other forever. Oh well, at least it was over now. They finally made peace between them, and Bao was the one to thank for that.

She made a mental promise to herself that she would never do anything to embarrass Bao again since he said he wouldn't embarrass her in front of the others this time. Next time, he probably would do it in front of the others. The last thing she wanted was for the other generals to think she was an out of control drinker like Zhang Fei was. Mostly, she made that promise because she wanted the newly found peace between her brother to survive in this world of chaos were there was no peace. She only wished that she could make this kind of peace with her father too.

When they got back to the castle, her head felt strangely clear. She felt much better. Her stomach was still queasy and she knew that she wouldn't be able to hold down breakfast, but her vision was clear and she wasn't stumbling anymore. She could probably pass for just being tired. However, she didn't want to do any training today. That would just lead to her embarrassing herself.

"Where's Ping and Shan?" She asked her brother.

"Both are awake now. Shan's with Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang is somewhere around here. They're probably planning something. Ping's training with Ma Chao."

"Really? He's not on a hangover?" She asked, surprised.

"You can tell he's a bit tipsy, but I doubt he drank as much as you did."

"Did you sober the other two up also?"

"Yup." He answered with a smile on his face.

Bao turned to go to the training courtyard. Cai went to go and wash up. If she wasn't used to the smell already, she would know just how bad it was, but since she didn't, she decided to wash just in case. She washed and changed into her usual attire, a short dress with knee high boots. Then she pulled her hair away from her face and tied it in a bun, but a few stray hairs fell around her face, she left them. After looking in her mirror, she was certain that no one would know about the pub last night unless they saw her there. So she decided that she would go down to the training courtyard to watch Guan Ping and Ma Chao.

When she got there, she found there were a lot more people there than Ping, Bao and Ma Chao. Zhao Yun was there with fifty foot soldiers. She could tell they were fresh by the way they moved. Their feet shuffled and their arms were weak. Their faces shown confusion as Zhao Yun demonstrated lunges with his spear.

She didn't like training greenies, so she went over to where she saw Ma Chao. He was standing by one of the tables at the edge of the courtyard getting a drink.

"Master Ma Chao." She greeted.

"Ah, Lady Zhang." He replied. "You're just on time. Master Guan Ping, Zhang Bao and I were going to do some training. At least until Zhao Yun is done with his latest group. Then we're going to go to the stables and train some of the new horses. Would you like to join us?"

"Sure, but I'm not much of a horse person. So I'll just watch for that part."

He shrugged.

"We didn't suspect to get to the horses till after lunch anyway. Going by the rate of how slow those soldiers are working, it'll be midday before Zhao Yun has got them sparing halfway decent, and he's still got his lesson with young Lord Liu Shan today too." He told her.

She was surprised that Liu Shan was still trying to learn how to fight. She remembered how poorly he did during their childhood lessons. So she was impressed that he hadn't given up.

"Then where's Guan Ping and Zhang Bao?" She eventually asked.

"They went to get some wood shades for us to use as weapons. Why don't generals train with real weapons?" He asked.

"Lord Liu Bei doesn't think that training is worth getting hurt for. He prefers us to use wood so that the worst you can get is a few bruises." She explained.

He nodded, but didn't look too impressed.

"It would be better if we fought with real weapons once in a while so that we don't get too used to fighting with worthless pieces of wood."

"I agree. I said that Liu Bei prefers us to use wood, not that he orders us to, but still, I'd rather us to use wood for now. At least until I get used to your fighting style. I've never fought with someone that comes from as far north as you do. I imagine that your fighting is different from our own."

He nodded. A small smile curved his lips.

It wasn't long after that that Ping and Bao returned. They both carried two shades since they grabbed one for Zhao Yun, but for now, she would use it. She knew that Bao wouldn't spar against her. They spared often and the often result was her victory and his loss. So he was either going to fight with Ma Chao or Guan Ping. She was certain that she was going to be paired with Ma Chao. After Shan's little display of distrust yesterday, she was sure that Bao would pair himself with Ping. She felt bad for Ma Chao that she and Zhao Yun seemed to be the only ones to trust him, but to her amazement, Bao turned to Ma Chao instead of Guan Ping.

"Come, I want to see how I compare to the warrior from Liang"

Ma Chao smiled.

"Then I challenge you!"

The two men ran off to the center of the courtyard, just next to where Zhao Yun was still trying to train the new soldiers. They began swinging their shades and kicking their legs in a fast moving spar. She didn't think that Ma Chao could move that fast, but he seemed to be enjoying himself more than anything else. Bao too, was smiling. The greenies that Zhao Yun was training watch in amazement. Zhao Yun had to fight to keep their attention and it was a downhill struggle.

"It's good to see Ma Chao's finally making friends and settling in to Shu." She told Guan Ping.

He seemed to be making the same kind of peace she found with her brother, but with the peoples of Shu. She was happy for him.

"I knew that he would, he just needed some time." Ping replied.

"Well after Shan's little… test, I was worried for him."

"Ma Chao can overcome Shan's distrusting attitude. Besides, we should be thinking of Shan as being a little wise. He knows that we can't trust anyone who's willing to fight for us. That's how spies infiltrate their enemies." He pointed out to her.

"Yes, but Cao Cao killed his father, who else would he fight for? He would rather die than serve Wei, and Wu is way too far from his home. I doubt that he'd be willing to go that far to serve a family that only wants to seize the land for themselves. He wants to serve justice."

"Yes, you got into all that with Liu Shan, but I'm more of a simple man, Xing Cai. I don't need lessons on ideology. I serve Liu Bei because my father does. He has the only claim to the imperial throne and he fights for the people. So I fight for him."

Ping raised his shade to the ready position to signal that he wanted to start sparing. She tightened her grip on her own to tell him she was ready.

He swung the shade sideways at her. She blocked it, being careful to use the middle section of the shade, nowhere close to where her fingers were. Ping came back at her and tried to knock her shade out of her hand by bringing his upward, but she spun around so he would hit nothing but air.

They were a few paces apart now. If one thing was for sure, she wasn't going to let Ping beat her. She was going to win, or it was going to be a draw.

When they charged each other, they met with a loud clash of wood. No one had ever managed to break one of these shades before, but both of them shattered. Ping's was broke in half and hers was broke in three places. They stared at each other for a moment. Then they looked down at the pieces of what used to be their shades. When they looked up at each other again, they both started laughing.

"Well, we can either get some new ones or we can watch Ma Chao and your brother." Ping reasoned.

She glanced over where the two were sparing.

"Let's watch, I want to see how good Ma Chao really is."

They gathered what was left of their shades and walked down the halls to put them in the scrap wood pile which was usually used for kindling. They placed to wood at the edge of the pile and stood up straight again. She wiped her hands on her skirt to brush off the dust.

"Xing Cai!"

His voice sounded alarmed and worried. She was confused.

"What?"

"Your arm! Look at your arm!"

He pointed at her right arm. She looked down. There was a small finger sized sliver of wood sticking out of the front of her forearm just above her wrist. There was a two finger space between where the sliver entered her skin and came out the other side. It wasn't a particularly thick piece of wood, but that didn't seem to appease Ping. He grabbed her bad arm for some reason and held it close. Her flesh was stretched and crushed under his fingers. It sent a rush of pain to her knowledge, and she cringed. A noise escaped her lips. It was something between a sigh and gasp.

"We have to get you to Hua Tuo, my father's physician."

He let go of her wrist and grabbed her arm, right at her elbow instead. He took her back into the castle. They went through countless halls to one of the quieter wings of the castle. When they reached the door Ping clearly had in mind, he pounded on the door with the side of his fist.

"Tuo, are you there! It's an emergency!" He shouted.

That was it! She had enough of this. She pried his hand off of her.

"Ping, it's really not that bad."

He gave her a disapproving look, but before he could say anything, the physician's door opened. Hua Tuo was a small man and had a round waistline. His short hair was messy and his clothes were ruffled. His face told them both that he was baffled by their sudden appearance.

"Master Guan Ping, and Lady Zhang, what's wrong?"

"Her arm."

Ping grabbed it again and pulled it to the physician's view. He took a look at it.

"Doesn't look too bad."

She gave Ping an annoyed look that said; 'I told you so'.

"Come in, come in. I was just getting some more of my supplies out."

He opened the door and led them into his chambers. His chambers were more like an office. There were three adjoining rooms that she could see. The first one, the one they were in now, was the biggest. It had a few chairs set up around a few small tables. The room to the left was filled with book cases and cabinets. The room on the right was significantly smaller than the other two. All she could see of it was the foot of a bed sticking out. The narrow doorway hid the rest of it.

"Take a seat, Lady Zhang. Now, how exactly did this happen?"

She sat down on the chair that the physician indicated. He went off to the left room to get the supplies he thought he would need. Guan Ping took the chair next to her. She avoided looking at him. Hua Tuo returned with an armful of supplies he carried against his chest. He spread them out on the table and took a seat on the chair across the table from her.

"We were training, and the shades broke. I'm not really sure how it happened. I don't even know when it did. I didn't feel anything until Guan Ping pointed it out to me."

Hua Tuo nodded, but didn't seem to really understand.

"Now let's see what I can do for you."

He took her hand in his and examined it for a moment. He dug through his tools and pulled out a pinching one that was clearly meant for extraction. Just the sight of the tool made her nervous. The physician lowered it to the wood.

Cai's left hand found its way to Ping's thigh. She squeezed the flesh just above his knee tightly as Tuo pulled the wood out of her arm. After a short intake of breath, the pain went from sharp to dull and throbbing. Then she noticed her hand's violation of Ping's leg. She quickly removed it, but Ping grabbed it and squeezed it in his own. Their eyes met. In that moment, she didn't breathe. However, the moment was short lived. Tuo's rough handling of her arm brought her back to reality. He applied some kind of white cream to the wounds and covered it with bandages.

"I'd like you to come back here before you retire for the evening. So I can see how much it bleeds, but if the blood leaks through the bandages, you'll have to come back earlier." He warned.

"Thank you, Hua Tuo." She told him.

"No problem."

The three of them stood up. Tuo began to gather his things. She and Ping moved over to the door. They went through it and started down the halls side by side.

"This is all my fault." Ping stated.

She stopped in her tracks.

"What are you talking about?"

Ping stopped and turned around to face her.

"That sliver was from my shade, I'm sure of it. I shouldn't have wielded it so harshly. I'm sorry."

"Ping, it's impossible to know whose shade it was. They wouldn't have broken if I wasn't swinging mine just as hard. You don't have to feel guilty. I've had worse."

She looked down at her ankle, which was beginning to hurt again.

"Still." Ping whispered.

She put her unwounded hand on his shoulder and gave him a thoughtful look.

"Really Ping, it's not your fault. I don't blame you and you shouldn't blame yourself either. No one else will."

He nodded, which made her smile. She lowered her hand back to her side. They went back to the courtyard to find Zhao Yun dismissing the soldiers for the day. Ma Chao and Zhang Bao were still going at it with their shades. Why those ones didn't break yet, she wasn't sure.

Zhao Yun went over to them.

"I'm starving, how about some lunch?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Sounds good, but do you think that Ma Chao and Bao will be done soon?" She asked since she was worried that they'd over exhaust themselves.

Zhao Yun turned to look.

"I'm not sure. They've been going at it for a while now. Neither one of them seems to be winning or losing. I'm sure they'll tire themselves before the duel is over."

"In that case, let's get some food." Ping decided.

The three of them went back into the castle and found their way to the dining room. The cooks had some food set out already and would leave it out until they figured everyone had eaten. So the three of them found some seats and began to serve themselves some food. She kept her wounded hand out of sight so no one would ask her about it. If someone asked her about it, she would have to tell the story of how she got it and that would only make Guan Ping feel worse.

The others in the dining room were Liu Bei and Shan, Zhang Fei and Zhuge Liang.

"There you are Cai, where's Bao?" Her father's raspy voice asked her.

She wasn't sure if Liu Bei or her father knew that she, Shan and Ping were out at the pub last night, but she wasn't going to tell them about it.

"He's training in the courtyard with Ma Chao."

"Really?" Liu Bei asked, in an interested sounding voice.

"Yes." Zhao Yun conformed. "They've been going at it for nearly half an hour now. Neither one of them seem willing to lose, but I'm confident that their appetite will force them to stop soon enough."

Xing Cai cringed as she watched Zhang Fei fill a goblet with wine. Already, really? Did he have to start his drinking this early in the day? She felt herself fading away from the conversation, but didn't do anything to stop it. It was like going into a dream.

Her dream was stopped by the laughing of Zhang Bao and Ma Chao. They came in side by side and sat down side by side as they began serving themselves some food. Everyone else was silenced, but neither Bao nor Ma Chao seemed to notice.

"By all means Ma Chao, tell us what has happened." Liu Bei told him.

"Well… we were sparing… and the shades just broke. They both broke in at least three places. It was the strangest thing I've ever had happen to me while training." He managed to say between laughs.

Bao's laughs stopped as he began eating. Ma Chao took a long drink from his goblet of water. Cai turned to face Ping and quietly whispered to him.

"See? It wasn't your fault. We've got a bunch of faulty shades."

* * *

Please keep the reviews coming! Xing Cai's and Guan Ping's romance is getting more and more serious. So things are really going to heat up now.


	8. Negotiations

8. Negotiations

A few days later, Cai's wrist had healed but she hadn't let it slow her down at all. She had continued to train hard every day and ride at night with Guan Ping every so often. One thing that wasn't on her agenda was another drinking game. She had learned that lesson well and she only needed to learn it once.

Things at Chengdu had calmed down significantly. Everyone was completely settled in. The steady flow of fresh soldiers had slowed to a crawl. That wasn't good for Shu's strength, but it did give the officers like Zhao Yun and Ma Chao time to work on what they already had to work with. Zhao Yun's soldiers were improving to the point that they almost looked like professionals. Nearly every horse in the stable was ready for battle.

Most of her time was spent with Jiang Wei, Liu Shan and Guan Ping. Though, Jiang Wei did spend a lot of time with Zhuge Liang and Liu Shan's time was divided between his father and the master strategist as well. So that left her and Guan Ping together most of the time.

She felt like a little girl getting to spend all her time with the boy she had a crush on. Of course, she kept his giddy in reserve, but she did notice herself smiling more. In fact, she was smiling more often than not.

One day, Liu Bei called for her presence in the throne room. If she weren't in such a good mood already, she would be slightly worried as to why he personally wanted to see her.

When she went into the throne room, she found she wasn't the only one Liu Bei had summoned. Liu Shan, Zhuge Liang and four other people that she didn't know were also there. The strange four stood in pairs. The first pair was made a young boy with light blonde hair, tan skin and strange yellow and red colored robes and the other was dressed in purple clothing with red armor. His brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

The first man from the second pair was a tall man who couldn't be much older than she was. He had fair skin, black hair and an intriguing demeanor. The collar of his white shirt was flipped up. The other one wore blue and silver body armor

Liu Bei smiled when he saw her come in.

"Ah, Xing Cai. I am glad that you are here."

She gave her head a quick jerk down and back up in a brief sort of bow. When she brought her head back up again, she noticed that the second man was still staring at her. She could feel her cheeks flush. So she forced them to return to their regular color.

"My lord."

"Master Lu Xun of Wu with master Ling Tong and Prince Cao Pi of Wei with Zhang Liao are here to discuss a peace treaty." Liu Bei finished.

He had gestured to each man as he said their name so she knew who was who.

Wei wanted to make an alliance? She highly doubted that considering that tighter with Wu, they burned Wei's entire fleet at Chibi. Not only that, but then Zhuge Liang betrayed the plan he came up with Wu's Zhou Yu and took Jing Province.

All this added up to the fact that Shu wasn't exactly on the best of terms with the other two kingdoms. However, Wei must be serious about a peace treaty if they sent their prince to negotiate it.

Cai decided to clear her mind and return back to reality. She greeted the two guests with a nod of her head.

"Shall we sit?" Zhuge Liang asked as he gestured at the long table that was normally set up in the dining hall.

Liu Bei took his seat at the head. Liu Shan sat at his right while Zhuge Liang sat on his left. She sat next to Liu Shan. Cao Pi sat across from her and Zhang Liao sat next to him. Ling Tong sat next to her while Lu Xun sat across from him and next to Zhang Liao. Ling Tong sagged in his seat and folded his arms over his chest. Cai sat up straight and rested her shoulders on the back of her chair. She kept her hands on her lap.

She wanted to ask what this was really all about. There was no way Wei wanted to negotiate peace with the kingdom that whipped out their navy. Then they took Chengdu from one of their allies. As far as Wu went, did Zhuge Liang not steal Jing province from them after the very same battle?

"First of all, my lord, Sun Quan, believes that all three kingdoms can coexist. With Wei in the north and central regions, Wu in the east and Shu in the west, I think that the land has been equally divided." Lu Xun stated.

They all nodded.

"Yes, and I believe that all three kingdoms should rule themselves as they see fit." Zhuge Liang added.

Cao Pi smirked.

"And is Shu still planning on restoring a broken empire?" He asked.

"I believe that Emperor Xian's rule has failed and the Han shall go on without him." Liu Bei explained.

"So you'll make yourself the new emperor." Cao Pi whispered silently to himself before raising his voice for all of them to hear. "Wei is not going to be governed by a lord or an emperor. The people will rule themselves."

"So Wei is going to make a new way, a new government." She summarized.

He gave her a cunning smile.

"Yes."

Was he flirting with her! If Xiahou Yuan, who was her great grandfather, was cousins with Cao Cao, who was the father of Cao Pi, what would that make Cao Pi to her? Did it matter? They were related and he was flirting. Sick! Either he didn't know, or he didn't care. Sick!

This line of thought made her question why Liu Bei had summoned her here. Zhuge Liang was here to support Liu Bei. Zhang Liao was here as Cao Pi's bodyguard. Ling Tong was here as Lu Xun's. Cao Pi and Lu Xun were here to represent their kingdoms. Liu Shan was here to learn all about these kinds of things. Jiang Wei should probably be here too, thinking about it like that, but why was she here?

No way! If she was here because Liu Bei wanted her to learn about these things too, then he would think her learning was more important than Jiang Wei's. Unless Zhuge Liang was planning on making her the master strategist… There was only one person more important to a lord or king than their strategist, their wife. AHHH! She should have figured that there was something more going on than just coming to learn about how negations work.

She wanted to slouch in her chair and cross her arms like Ling Tong, but what good would that do? If she wanted to be taken as a serious general of Shu, then she would have to act like one. So she wasn't going to behave like a child. Instead, she kept her good posture and paid attention to the person speaking.

Unfortunately, the person speaking changed so often that she was developing a kink in her neck. She didn't want to go all pussy lady and all, but she was getting to the point that she wanted to scream. Comments and debates had been going on for hours. Ling Tong hadn't said a word the entire time. Now she knew why he had looked so grim at the beginning. He had known what was coming. Zhang Liao didn't look too enthused either. Zhuge Liang kept his usual calm and emotionless demeanor. Meanwhile, Liu Shan, Liu Bei, Lu Xun and Cao Pi all stayed engaged with whatever it was being said. Every so often, Cao Pi would give her one of those looks of his. She didn't return them and usually avoided eye contact with him by looking at the person speaking and when it was Cao Pi speaking, she watched herself play with the folds of her skirt and smooth them out again.

After what must have been four more hours, she began to get restless. No position in the chair was comfortable and no matter what she did, she could focus on the negotiations anymore. It was like trying to sleep when there was something keeping her up. Not only was it annoying, but it was also maddening.

She should be out doing something useful. She should be out training. If she had known that she'd be spending hours on end talking nonsense, it would have been nice to know ahead of time so she could have gotten a day's worth of training done before hand.

Cao Pi's flattering looks didn't help and as far as she was concerned, giving them to the wall behind her would yield him the same result as the one she was giving him. Ling Tong was the only one who clearly noticed it all and he was clearly amused by it. Cao Pi would shot him a dirty glare every so often. After another hour, she saw that Liu Shan also noticed the silent conversation. When he joined in, the silent conversation turned into an all-out argument. Then the argument became a little less than silent. Cao Pi's and Liu Shan's voices became agitated while Ling Tong continued his amused silence with a slight grin. Of course, Xing Cai pretended not to notice and kept her blank face. Then Zhuge Liang got involved. He insisted that they take a break from the hot room and continue again tomorrow.

She wanted to leap to her feet and run out, but then Cao Pi might follow her. So she waited for a while until he left. However, he didn't leave.

Great! On top of having to sit through hours of squabble and everyone else having a different idea for her future, now she also had her own personal stalker!

She looked around for an answer. Liu Shan! Cao Pi wouldn't follow Liu Shan around to get to her. So she stood up and moved over to her young lord.

"Shan, would you mind coming to dinner with me? I'm sure the cooks already have the food out and…" She looked over at Cao Pi and lowered her voice. "and I'm not quite comfortable with the idea of sitting with our… friends from Wei and Wu."

He nodded in acknowledgement, looking slightly annoyed, but not with her, with Cao Pi's brash attitude.

x

The next morning, she made a point of getting up extremely early and getting down to the training courtyard without a bite for breakfast. She started with beating on a hay dummy. Then, Zhao Yun made his way over to her and she asked for another lesson.

"I don't think I have much else to teach you." He told her.

"Well, then fight me as a comrade and not an apprentice." She responded, desperate to get him to accept since she spotted Cao Pi watching her.

She prayed her would say 'yes' since she didn't know what she would do if Zhao Yun declined and left. Then Cao Pi would surely come over to her.

"Sure." Zhao Yun agreed.

She left out a sigh of relief as he picked up a wood shade from a pile that had been left nearby.

She started fighting with her former teacher. He was fast and strong. She was fast, but not as strong. She was very familiar with his style, so she knew that she was going to have to come up with something he didn't teach her to win this fight. However, this fight wasn't about winning or losing. If she did this right, she might be able to get out of sitting through the negotiations all together.

As it turned out, Cai's wit wasn't enough to beat her old mentor. Had she felt normal, she probably would have won, but since she was light headed, she wasn't quite herself.

When things started spinning, she knew her plan was working. So she didn't fight the darkness when her mind started down that long tunnel.

x

When she came to again, she was in her bed. The sun was shining brightly through the window. Perfect.

In a cheerful mood, she sat up and rubbed her eyes. Since she had passed out, there was no way that Liu Bei or Zhuge Liang would request her presence for the negotiations. Sure her reputation would suffer for this, but that wasn't as important as not having to sit in the same room as the man who was hitting on her, whom she just happened to be related to!

Before she stepped out of her door, she remembered that she was playing damsel in distress, so she ruffled her hair some and put on her tired eyes. When she opened the door, she realized that not all her 'distressness' wasn't pretend. She was dizzy and weak from not eating and then vigorously training under the hot sun.

"Cai!"

She turned at the mention of her name only because she knew that none of their Wu or Wei friends wouldn't call her that. Even though she knew that, she was relieved to see Guan Ping.

"You alright?" He asked.

She smiled widely.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

He didn't look convinced.

"Zhao Yun said that you just passed out. Hua Tuo said that you're dehydrated and need some rest. Are you sure you should be up and about?"

Before she could respond, she stomach roared.

"What I should be doing is getting something to eat." She responded as she put a hand over her complaining endless black pit on her abdomen. "Don't worry, Ping. It was all so that I don't have to sit around and listen to Zhuge Liang's negotiations."

He gave her a look.

"Why Did they want you there anyway?"

She didn't really want to tell him that Shu's master strategist and lord were planning a future for her that would force them apart, so she didn't.

"Who knows?"

Ping shrugged.

"Well then, let's get you something to eat."

They strode down to the dining hall and took their seats on the benches. Cai ate quickly so that she might finish before someone would suggest she go back to the throne room. Then they left the dining hall and made their way out to the training courtyard. They spared for a while, she found that she weak and tired at first, but the longer she fought, the better she became.

By the time she was hot and sweaty, it was almost nightfall. Their sparing wasn't the only thing that had come to an end, the people involved in the negotiations had been dismissed and sent home. She was glad that Cao Pi had left, she had seen him ride out the castle gates with Zhang Liao and a dozen Wei soldiers following close behind. Lu Xun, Ling Tong and their escorts left soon after that.

It was good to have the castle all to Shu again.

She and Ping both decided that it was time to quit. They did their polite farewells and went their separate ways. On the way to her room, she came to Liu Bei, he didn't look too happy to see here. There was no doubt in her that he was angry at her for not attending the negotiations.

"My lord, I.." she tried to find the right words, but the ones that came to her mind could easily be turned around by Liu Bei.

He held her hand up to stop her. She silenced herself.

"I guess that I've been pushing my generals to the extreme. So I've decided to send you and your family home on temporary leave. I hope that this will give you the chance to recover."

"My lord, I don't need to leave, I just needed to keep training."

He held up his hand to silence her once again.

"No, it's already been arranged. After all, you, your brother and Fei have all been serving here for a long time have you not?"

"Only a few months, my lord."

He nodded in understanding.

"Still."

He wasn't going to reason with her.

"How long will my time on leave last?" She asked.

"A year."

A full year? She couldn't be away for a full year! Shu needed as many generals as they could get and since Ma Chao had gone to visit his family, they were already shorthanded. Now they would short three more generals. There was also Jiang Wei's absence to consider. She had been told that he had also gone on leave because his mother had died.

Guan Yu and Guan Ping had only arrived a few weeks ago, they wouldn't be due to go on leave until the time she would get back. She would return just as he would leave. They would completely miss each other. Not only would she have to wait for her own leave time to end, but also his. It would be two years!

"When do I leave?" She quietly asked, trying to hide her emotion.

"At first light."

"First light." She silent repeated.

There, I finally brought Cao Pi into the story! I'm sorry that this chapter was really boring. It was kind of done in the spur of the moment.


	9. Surrounded by Stars

9. Surrounded by Stars

That night, Xing Cai was ready for Ping. She was sitting on her bed as she waited for him to call her name. This time however, she was wearing one of her old casual dresses. It was a black dress with slits coming up the sides. That made it good for riding, but it also showed most of her thighs. Not that it was out of the ordinary for her, but the dresses she normally wore weren't cut as short as the slits on this dress were long. Oh well.

"Xing Cai!"

Ping's voice rang out barely above a whisper. If he really wanted to impress her, then he would have found a new way to get her attention, but she looked out her window none the less. She saw him standing at the base of the tree once again. He was smiling up at her. She smiled back. She crawled out the window and started down the tree. Climbing down the tree was much easier now that she didn't have completely bare legs. She jumped down the rest of the way and followed Ping east. They stopped in the meadow were Star was tied to a tree branch. Ping gave her a leg up before he jumped up in front of her. She grabbed the fold of his vest.

"Where to?" He asked.

He turned to face her slightly. She thought for a moment.

"Surprise me." She whispered.

He took hold of the reins and steered Star north. She didn't see that she was a fallen log ahead. Star may have only hopped over it, but Cai wasn't ready for it. She grabbed Ping for balance. Star began to gallop. She held onto Ping even harder and closed her eyes in fear. Ping's back hardened as he pulled the mare to a stop.

"Are you alright?" She heard his voice ask.

That's when she realized that she had her arms wrapped tightly around his waist. She quickly withdrew her hands from him embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"

"It's alright Cai. I don't mind, really."

Those words made her take her hands off him completely. Her face began to burn. She pushed away from him and landed on the ground on her feet.

"Cai!"

She stared at the ground as she began backing up.

"Cai, what's wrong?"

She tripped over a stone and landed on her back. Ping jumped down off of Star's back and came to her side. He knelled next to her. She sat up, but he wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Did it scare you when Star began running?"

She smiled a little.

"No."

In truth, she liked it. It may have terrified her at first, but looking back now, she wanted to do it again. It was what he said that terrified her now. She felt that same fear that she had felt when she heard that he was coming.

"Then what's wrong?"

Her heart pounded. Her stomach rose to her throat. Talking would be impossible for her now. So she rested her head on his chest instead.

"You are such a strange woman, Xing Cai."

He let out a sigh and looked up into the sky.

"Did you hear that my brother, Xing, is coming?"

"Yes." She managed to answer.

He had told her himself, a few times, but he probably forgot.

"It seems that I'm surrounded by stars, you, my horse, my brother and the real stars."

It was true. Guan Ping was surrounded by stars. She smiled. Xing meant 'star'. It was something that Guan Xing wasn't particularly happy with though. She couldn't imagine how much grief Ping had given him for it over the years.

After a while, they both stood back up and moved back over to where Star had gone to graze. Ping gave her a leg up, but before she had the chance to slide back, Ping jumped up behind her.

"Ping, what's…?"

"You're reining from now on. Wherever you want to take us, take us. Surprise me."

His breath on the back of her neck made a chill go up her spine. She tried to distract herself by taking up the reins. Star was a soft mouthed horse. The mare responded well to Cai's guidance with the bit through the reins. After a few minutes, she decided to go south, around Chengdu, and see what was down there. They had only ever gone north and east before.

Reining the mare was empowering. She found herself becoming stronger again. She felt herself becoming fearless, just like she used to be when she rode horses. It had been second nature to her a few years ago. It had been as easy as walking. Although she was becoming less and less afraid of riding, she was becoming more afraid of Guan Ping. She knew he couldn't help it. It happened anytime two people rode a horse bareback together. The one in back always slid forward until they were pressed against the one in front. His chest was pressed against her shoulders and his waist was against the small of her back.

To his credit, he kept his hands resting on his thighs instead of somewhere on her. For some strange reason, she wanted them on her. So she suddenly kicked Star's sides. The mare jumped into a trot, but Ping wasn't even thrown off balance. He was much too good of a horseman for that. So she urged Star to go faster. The mare feed off her energy and leaped into a gallop. The three of them moved in perfect harmony. They leaped over a fallen log and glided down hills. Then they came to a turn in the trail. Both she and Ping began to lean in for it, but Star suddenly dropped her head and crow hopped. She and Ping were thrown over the mare's shoulder. She landed on her stomach and was rolled onto her back from the force of the fall. Ping landed next to her. He scrambled to his feet, ready to run after the horse, only to find she had stopped and started grazing.

"Leave her. She's fine." Cai told him.

He turned to her. He offered her his hand. She took it and gave it a hard jerk so that he would fall. She had planned for him to fall next to her again, but instead, he fell on top of her. Instead of pushing him away, she only stared into his eyes. He would be a fool not to know what this meant. She figured that he had tried so hard to get her attention and she was tired of being shy. She wanted him to know that she wasn't a cold, numb or heartless woman.

She could tell that he knew what she was doing, but he still hesitated, maybe to tell her that she could still stop him, if she wanted to. She didn't.

He gently brushed his lips on hers.

"Are you sure?" He asked, barely above a whisper.

"I'm sure." She breathed.

He lowered his lips on hers again, but this time, it was no brush. When he said that he had become a better kisser than he had been that night at the pub a few years ago, he wasn't joking. They breathed hard between moments when it was impossible. His hand moved to her waist and followed her shape to the slits of her dress. His fingers went inside the slits and glided across the smooth flesh.

Her heart fluttered. She pushed his vest off his shoulders to his elbows. He sat up straight and tore it off the rest of the way. He stared down at her for a moment. Then she also sat up and straddled herself across him, one knee on either side of his hips.

She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him, but he didn't return it.

"I can't Xing Cai… I just can't." He whispered.

She didn't respond. Her hands glided from the back of his neck to his chest. She should have figured something better to say, but at that moment, she couldn't.

"Why? I'm leaving tomorrow, and I don't know when I'll see you again. This may be our only chance."

It definitely would be their only chance, for the next two years, or only this year at best.

His hands followed her ankles to her knees, then up her thighs. They stopped at her waist. Right where he could tear open the slit of the dress if he wanted to. Nothing happened. She closed her eyes and lowered her chin. He wasn't going to. He was too good, too gentle, but then there was a violent tearing sound.

x

By the time it was over, they both were breathing hard, as if they were at the end of a long battle. This battle was different, it was against their natures. They both were shy people that never allowed their emotions to get the better of them. Not tonight. Tonight they lived for themselves. Just for themselves. There was no duty or protocol where they were, not when they were surrounded by stars.

She didn't sleep that night, at all. When the morning came, she was sore. In fact, she was so sore that she wasn't sure she could ride back to the castle, let alone walk. Ping had them both curled up in the brush. He was lying on his stomach. She was right next to him on her back. He had his arm across her chest and stomach. His hand rested on her opposite shoulder from him. She placed her hand on his arm and brushed his cheek with her fingers. She didn't want to leave, ever, but she had to. She was leaving Chengdu today and she needed to get back to the castle.

"Ping? Ping, wake up. We have to go."

He stirred. His eyes peeled open.

"The sun's almost up. We have to get back to the castle before anyone finds out we're gone."

"Why?"

He rolled over top of her and pinned her down, playfully.

"You're very different from the Guan Ping I know." She whispered. "What changed you?"

He smiled.

"You did."

He began kissing her again, but she pushed him away with her newly freed hands.

"I'm serious Ping. We have to get back to the castle before anyone finds out we're gone."

She could see that he wanted to fight her. That he wanted to tell her that they should become engaged and announce it to everyone so that they would never be parted again. He didn't. He kept his silence. They were back to their normal composures. Back to their shy selves that never let their emotions show. They were once again the people that never acted out of order. She was back to her emotionless self. She felt her shell consuming her, and she wanted to scream.

Neither one of them said a word on the way back. When they got back to the tree, he took her in her arms.

"Just promise me that we'll see each other again." He told her.

She nodded.

"We will. I'm sure that our fathers will want to visit."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know, but for now…" She didn't finish her sentence.

Ping opened his mouth to speak, but she interrupted him.

"I have to go."

"Xing Cai…" He didn't finish his sentence either.

She let out a sigh and looked down at her feet, almost ashamed of what she was going to say next, but she said it anyway.

"I'll save myself for you, and only for you Guan Ping. I love you." Her voice lowered to a whisper.

"I love you too." He whispered back.

x

All the Zhangs left Luo castle to go on leave for one full year. She and Ping kept their emotionless composure. It hurt them both, badly, but there was nothing either one of them could do about it. Maybe this year could do her some good. She had to think about the future, her future. Her world had been turned upside down. She hadn't thought about Ping in so long, not until he and Master Guan Yu came to the camp. She had to figure things out. One full year was more than enough time. By the time the year was over, she knew she would have figured things out.

The three Zhangs made fists and held it in the other palm as they bowed to Lord Liu Bei.

"We will be back in one year's time brother." Zhang Fei promised his lord and brother.

Cai could feel Ping's eyes on her, but she kept hers fixed on Liu Bei. Then she felt Liu Shan watching her too. It was the same with Zhuge Liang. What was she doing that everyone was staring at her? Panic began flooding her. Oh, then she realized, it was her turn to say her farewells.

"Good-bye my lord. I hope to see you again soon, and the rest of you too. I think that our future gets brighter as every day passes. Hopefully, by the time we return we'll be even closer to ending the chaos."

Liu Bei smiled.

"And I hope that I can help you to achieve that peace my sister speaks of my lord." Zhang Bao bowed once again, Liu Bei returned it.

Then the three Zhangs turned and walked out of the city, where they would meet the horses. They found three horses and a dozen soldiers waiting for them. The soldiers were their escorts. The horses were theirs from home. Her father's horse was a very dark brown mare. Bao's horse was a red colored bay. On the way here, she had walked the majority of the way, but she also rode in a one of the supply wagons when she needed to rest. The third horse, a tall black mare, was clearly meant for her. She would have to ride since their escorts were also on horses.

She put her foot into the stirrup and swung herself into the saddle. This was the first time in a long time that she had to climb up into the saddle by herself. She was used for Ping giving her a leg up now, but she managed.

The ride home would take at least a full week. They could take a full day out of it if they kept a fast pace. Zhang Fei kept them going at a brisk trot for a few hours until they decided to stop for lunch. When she pulled the saddle off the mare's back so the sweat could dry, she found a note hidden under the saddle blanket. She opened the folded paper and read it.

_Xing Cai,_

_This mare in named Beauty. She and Star were both given to me by father and brother. Although you are my special star, I think I'll keep Star and that Beauty will serve you better._

_I hope to visit you soon so that we can talk. We both know that there's a lot for us to talk about._

_Until then,_

_Guan Ping_

She quickly folded the paper and hid it in her boot. She had left him a similar note. Only, hers had the opposite message. She wanted him to give her some space to think. She tried to express herself gently. She hoped he wouldn't take it too hard.

Naughty, naughty, Cai!

When a horse 'crow hoops', they put their head down and jump. They do it for many reasons, varying from an uncomfortable saddle to just doing it to see what you'll do about it or if they can get away with it. Yes, horses are like children. They do things just to see if they can get away with it.


	10. Home

First of all, I got an anonymous review from someone on July 12. (To whomever you are, thank you!) I didn't know that women weren't allowed to drink. Oops, but it was a lot of fun to write! I hope that that chapter is a lot of fun to read. As far as the Lady Zhuge goes, thanks for the info! I didn't know about that either. From here on out, Yue Ying is going to be referred to as Lady Huang. Sorry for any confusion!

* * *

10. Home

They arrived home in a week and a half's time. Their estate was just a few miles outside Zhouzhou City, which was where their escorts' families also where. They were leave too. It only made sense that their escorts who were going on leave were going to the same place they were.

Their house was a small mansion in the thin woods. The wide road led directly to the front of the house. Bushes with small white flowers grew along the sides of the house and the perimeter of the yard. The stable was on the left side of the house, but the three of them didn't make it that far. The other three Zhangs came running out of the front door. Zhang Fei jumped down off his horse as Lady Xiahou leaped into his arms. Bao and Shao meet in a brotherly single arm hug.

Lady Xiahou, her mother, was a beautiful woman. She had fair skin, long black hair and stunning dark brown eyes. In fact, Xing Cai was nearly the younger version of her mother, but she wouldn't go as far to call herself stunningly beautiful. Her modest nature wouldn't allow her to.

Shao and Bao looked a lot alike too. They both had brown hair and black eyes. The biggest difference between them was Bao's tan skin versus Shao's fair skin. Also, Bao had a slightly more muscular build than Shao did. That made sense considering that Bao was a general while Shao was still in training.

Then Xing Cai spotted Xiao, slowly walking out the doorway. She could see that her sister was paying close attention to where she put her feet. She must have been feeling the stone walkway ahead of her with her toes since she couldn't see it.

Zhang Xiao had brown hair that traveled as far as her shoulders. Her fair skin was healthy looking and her cheeks were pink. Her eyes were set at a downward angle and never moved, nor did they focus on anything in particular. They couldn't though.

She slowly followed the stone walkway over to them.

"Sister!" Cai said excitedly.

She always gave her sister a warning before she touched her unexpectedly. Xiao held out her arms. Cai moved into them and wrapped her arms around Xiao, who gave her a gentle hug back.

"I've missed you so much." She told her sister.

They parted, but she still held her sister's hands. Partly so that Xiao would still know that she was still there and so Xiao could feel her presence, not just hear it.

"And I you." Xiao responded. "You must tell me everything that happened."

Her mind went blank for a moment. She didn't want to tell Xiao everything that had happened.

"Did you get my letter?" She eventually asked.

Xiao couldn't read, but Shao and their mother could.

"Yes."

"Good, let me put my horse away and I'll…"

"You have a new horse!" Xiao asked excitedly.

"Yes."

"Can I see him?"

"Of course."

When Xiao asked to see something or someone, it was her way of saying that she wanted to feel them. Cai led her sister over to Beauty and directed Xiao's hands to her muzzle. Xiao's hands began exploring the shapes of the mare's face. Then she moved to the ears and the neck.

"She's about four years old." Cai stated.

She didn't describe the mare's color, Xiao didn't know what colors really were anyway. After all, how could someone describe color to her? The only way to describe a color was to compare it to another color.

"She's got a very long mane." Xiao told her as she ran her finger through the mare's long black mane before she knelled next to the mare's front leg then to her hooves and the nails of her shoes. "Her legs are strong and she has good hard feet. She's been shod recently too."

Xiao could tell by where the nails were positioned on Beauty's hoof wall that the blacksmith had put shoes on recently. She stood up straight and gave the mare a pat on the withers.

"Someone has been taking really good care of her. Where did you get her from?"

"Guan Ping, as a parting gift."

A smile spread across Xiao's face. Cai knew that her eyes couldn't see anything, but in their own way, they saw more than anyone else's did. She knew that there was no one she trusted more than Xiao, but she wasn't willing going to tell her everything that happened between her and Ping. She didn't regret what she did, but she was ashamed by it. She knew it was only a matter of time before Xiao got it out of her, so she was going to make sure that she had made her decision about her future, whether it was or wasn't with Ping, before then.

x

That night she went to sleep in her old bed in her old room. Everything was as she had left it, except the usual messes that marked wherever she had ever been were absent. Her desk and the tables on either side of her bed had been dusted. Her bed was made and her bookshelves were organized.

Her mother must have tidied up her room for her. She felt bad for giving her mother the extra work on top of everything else she had to do.

Xing Cai changed into her night gown and crawled into bed, alone. Oh how she wished she wasn't alone. No one could guess what her mother and father were doing right now and here she was all by herself. Loneliness flooded her. No! She hadn't agreed to come home so that she could wallow in self pity. She came home so she could decide her plans for the future, but she had to do something to stop herself from going crazy. So she laid her options before her. Everything could be simplified into three choices. One, marry Guan Ping. Two, marry another man. Third and final, she could not marry at all.

Choice one was the proper thing to do. It was what her heart wanted more than anything, but she knew that following her heart would lead her mind to disaster. Choice two would be hardest. What man would marry a woman who was no longer pure? She cringed at the thought of what kind of man that could be. He would either be extremely selfless or would only want her in his bed so much that he didn't care. The third choice would be the easiest and loneliest road of all. She couldn't imagine spending her entire life by herself. If the land ever was united, she wanted to enjoy it with someone.

What to do!

She felt a tear run down her cheek. Now she regretted what she did. Why did she do it! Was she that stupid? Her heart stopped when she realized she could be with child. What would she do then? Her parents would kick her out, and rightfully so.

She was one of the only women generals ever recorded in the pages of history. As far as the other women generals went, they had all retired when they bore their first child. That meant that she couldn't return to Liu Bei and the ranks of Shu and continue to serve him. He might take her in, but she would have a status lower than any of the servants there. That wasn't exactly an appealing looking future for herself.

What about Ping? What would happen to him? If everyone found out, then he might also be banished. That was highly unlikely though. No one might even expect him of being the father, if she was with child that is. If they got lucky, they could be forced into marriage. What if he disowned the child and left her?

Ping had been right. He had done something she regretted. Only, it was her fault. She was the one who acted like a bitch in heat. He had the decent sense to speak against it, but she knew how much he wanted it too and she took advantage of him. If she was with child, they both were going to suffer for her behavior. She vowed that if she wasn't, then she would stay away from Ping, to prevent herself from hurting him even more. Then she would marry someone else, or at least try to, and let Ping find the woman he deserved. If she was with child, then she would say she got drunk one night at the pub here in Zhouzhou and disgraced herself with a man she can't remember. Either way, no one was going to suffer for her dishonoring behavior.

What should she do in the mean time? It would be at least another three weeks before she would know if there was a child inside her. She couldn't go pretending that it wasn't a possibility, but she couldn't tell everyone that she was with child when she still didn't know for sure. She wouldn't tell anyone anything, not even Xiao. However, she wouldn't lie to herself and meditate that she hadn't disgraced herself either.

The sound of her door opening almost made her jump. She flipped on to her other shoulder to face the doorway.

"Xiao!" She whispered.

Her sister began slowly making her way over to her. Cai sat up to go and help her, but Xiao heard the blankets shuffle and knew where to walk to.

"No, Cai don't. I've got the entire house memorized. So I know that your bed is about a dozen steps from the door and to the right a little."

To her amazement, Xiao held out her arms just before she reached the bed.

"Ah, there it is."

Xiao pulled the blankets away and crawled into the bed next to her.

"I missed you so much, Cai."

She took Xiao's hands.

"I missed you to, Xiao, but it really hasn't been that long." She replied.

"What do you mean?" Xiao demanded in a hurt tone.

"What I mean is, we're going to have to get used to being apart like this, only longer and more often. Liu Bei is only getting started. He's going to need everyone he can get. You know that Shao's going to go with us when we leave next year. It will only be you and mother here."

Xiao's eyes were unreadable. They were always set at a low angle, staring at things they couldn't see, so the two of them communicated their emotions through their hands. Xiao's were gripping hers firmly. She clearly didn't like what Cai was saying.

"We can think about this later, Cai. You only just got back. Let's focus on the now and spend every moment together that we can. Now tell me, how is Liu Shan?"

"Shan? Why do you want to know about him?"

A smile spread across Xiao's face.

"Ohhhhh, I understand." She giggled, not something she often did. "He's fine, but he's changed a lot since the pub."

"Changed, how?" Xiao interrupted, sounding worried.

"He's more not as trusting as he used to be. A new sgeneral joined our ranks, Ma Chao, and it took a lot of convincing before he would trust him. It was almost embarrassing to me that our young lord was so, so… distasteful."

There was a pause.

"Why do you trust Ma Chao?" Xiao eventually asked her.

"Because Cao Cao killed his father and his former master made a secret alliance with him. Ma Chao fights for justice and Liu Bei fights to make a world of virtues. Not only does Ma Chao have a reason to fight with us so that he can avenge his father, but he can also fight for his beliefs. What more reason could a soldier need to serve a new lord?"

Xiao grip on her hand loosened, slightly.

"Family." Xiao answered.

"No, family's not a reason to fight."

"Then why do you fight? Isn't it because you wanted to join father and Bao?"

She thought for a second.

"Okay, I see your point. Family is a reason to fight, but not a reason to choose your alliance. If it was, then I would have to consider serving Wei because of our great grandfather, Xiahou Yuan, and our great uncle, Xiahou Dun. Both of them are Cao Cao's generals."

"No!"

"Quiet, Xiao!" She whispered.

"Sorry, you would never serve Wei. Everyone knows that. You are loyal to Shu. No one has ever questioned that your, or Bao's, loyalties might be affected by our maternity. Even mother is loyal to Shu. She would never go crawling back to her grandfather."

Xiao could tell by how hard Cai was holding her hand that she wasn't convinced.

"Besides, both Xiahou Yuan and Dun are old men in a time of war. They'll die soon. It's bound to happen."

Cai's grip loosened.

"Maybe so, but it still bothers me at times." She admitted.

"I would be more worried if it didn't. It bothers me too, Cai, but I don't have to worry about what people whisper about what damage would be done if I defected. I don't fight, and thus, I don't really know anything that goes on. Besides, what damage could a blind girl do anyway?"

This was strange. Zhang Xiao didn't normally have anything to do with self pity of any sort. She didn't believe in focusing on your own problems so much that you became upset by them. She believed in solving them. That's what Cai had to do, about Ping.

x

The next morning was bright and warm. For once, Cai allowed herself to sleep in. Zhang Xiao had left to go get herself dressed a while ago. The transformation that Xiao underwent between now, and when she had last seen her sister was amazing. Xiao was completely independent when it came to many things now. She dressed and bathed by herself. She got the water from the well by herself and she did the laundry by the stream, after someone led her to the stream and came back for her when she was done, after double checking that there weren't any stains left over.

Shao had taken up doing most of the stable work. He mucked out the stalls and fed the horses. When they had to go to town, he was the one to harness the horses and bring out the little four person cart they had. Although, up till now, he usually went to town by himself. Now, either she or Bao went with him. Bao eventually decided that he would get a job in town to earn some more money. It really wasn't necessary though. Lui Bei paid his generals handsomely, and with three, going on four, generals from the same family, they really were well off. However, after a few more weeks, Shao also got a job in town. That left her, mother, Xiao and Zhang Fei to take care of the house.

Mother did all the cooking and house cleaning. Zhang Fei, since there was no wine in the house, started doing most of the stable work. Xiao continued bringing the water and doing the laundry. Cai drifted from helping the three. After a while, it just became routine that she led Xiao out to the stream to do the laundry. Then she would help her mother by washing the dishes from breakfast. By the time they were done, she would go back to the stream and get Xiao. When they returned, it would be time to start lunch. So she would help her mother prepare the meal, while Xiao would get them whatever water they needed.

She never was much of a cook. Her mother was amazing though. They were all grateful for it since the meals had always been up to her. So Cai decided that she would try and learn what she could about cooking to keep her mind busy. Who knows if she would ever use this knowledge, but it would be a good skill to have.

The afternoon was their free time. Cai usually spent it training with Zhang Fei. Xiao usually wasn't too far away with one instrument or another varying as far from one she blew into to ones with strings. She may not be able to read the music, but she still played better than anyone she knew. Xiao had explained that she memorized what the song was supposed to sound like and memorized the sound of each note her instrument made, and that's how she played.

By mid afternoon, Bao and Shao would return home. Their mother had a fresh loaf of bread waiting for them accompanied by some sort of topping. The topping depended on what she decided she would bring out. Cai's favorite was the honey. When evening came, she and her mother would go into the house to prepare dinner. Xiao would get the water, as usual. Zhang Fei and the two brothers would be out training still. Then they would eat together. After dinner, Fei and the brothers would go out and finish the stable chores. She and her mother would do the dishes. After all this, they had about an hour or so, depending on how fast they all finished their chores, to talk in the sitting room.

All this made up their daily routine. Of course, her own worries and contemplations filled the night. After a month of it, she had become quite used to everything, and she couldn't describe the relief that flooded her entire being when she was certain that she wasn't with child. She had managed to keep her and Ping a secret from everyone, including Zhang Xiao, who seemed to be more interested in her stories about Liu Shan than anything else.

Six months into their year, Zhang Fei received a letter from Guan Yu that he, Ping and Xing were coming for a visit. Everyone, except for her, was overjoyed. They had three guest rooms, one was usually saved for Liu Bei, another was for Guan Yu and the third was usually for anyone else that came. It became her job to prepare the rooms since she didn't have any set chores. So she prepared Guan Yu's room for him. He had a very tall bed to sleep in here. It was so long that when they first made it, they also had to make the blankets for it since no merchant in town had sheets as long as they needed. Then she prepared the spare guest room for Ping and Xing. She wanted them to share a room so that it would be impossible for Ping to sneak out of it and take her out for more riding lessons.

"It's silly to make them share a room when we have another." Zhang Fei protested.

"Yes, but that room is for Liu Bei and Xing and Ping are quite used to the third room. That's the room they stayed in last time too. Except last time they also shared it with Liu Shan. I'm sure that they'll find it comfortable." She replied.

She didn't tell anyone about her double motive, but she was sure that Guan Ping would figure it out. He had honored her request she sent in her letter asking him to leave her alone to think. She knew that when he got here, he would expect her to have made her decision, but she hadn't been able to decide for sure yet. On her first night back, she decided that she would stay away from Ping and let him marry the woman he deserved, but the very idea of it made her burn in ravenous fury. On top of that, Zhuge Liang still wanted her to marry Liu Shan. Why couldn't the man suggest that Zhang Xiao marry him? Xiao was the one that actually liked him like that. She decided that she would tell Zhuge Liang that the next time this topic came up.

Maybe, just maybe, she could marry Ping. Their families were already untied by Guan Yu's, Zhang Fei's and Liu Bei's brotherhood. If she and Ping kept that night a secret, then there was nothing that could stop them. Her heart leaped for joy at the thought of being his wife.

Of course, there was one thing she didn't take into consideration, did Ping still love her? Her letter had told him to leave her alone. Knowing him, he was hurt by it. Her heart sank again. She decided that she would leave it to fate. Their paths were already merging together, they could have a future together, but if Ping had decided on his own path, then she would leave him to it and marry Liu Shan like Zhuge Liang wanted her to. Maybe he would also marry Xiao. Then she could still be with her sister, but that was only thing she liked about that plan.

* * *

Shod is a horse people's term for shoeing a horse(not to be confused with anything else!).

Zhouzhou was Zhang Fei's place of birth. So I thought it would work for their home town.

I decided to use 'Xiao' for Cai's sister because 'Xiao' means younger. That's what KOEI did with the two qiaos since no one knows their actual given names('Da' means 'older'). So I think that calling her 'Xiao' will be just fine. By the way, she wasn't blind. That was my idea. I did that as an explanation as to why she is the only Zhang, other than Lady Xiahou, that doesn't fight.


	11. Reunion

First of all, sorry for the late update, but once you learn about my week, I'm sure you'll understand. I got kicked by one of the mares at work and all the horses have shoes on! One hoof hit me in the knee and the other nailed me in the gut. The doctors said that my knee might give out if I work it too hard and gave me ibuprofen 1400 to help with the pain.

So yeah, you can imagine how much fun I've been having. Updating my story has been one of the very few highlights of my week. I hope you enjoy it!

* * *

11. Reunion

The day came that the Guan family was due to arrive. None of the Zhangs were sure however, at what time they would arrive. So they started with the normal chores and rushed through them as quickly as possible. Their mother kept a supply of snacks and drinks ready at all times so that they could be served at any moment. When Zhang Xing Cai and Zhang Xiao finished theirs, they went to Xiao's room to dress themselves up.

"What should I wear?" Xiao asked her.

She and Xiao dug through her wardrobe. Eventually, a bright gold colored dress caught her eye. It would look lovely with Xiao's hazel eyes.

"This one."

She pulled it out and handed it to Xiao. Xiao took it and changed into it while she put on her green one she and Lady Huang brought in Chengdu.

"How does it look?" Xiao asked.

"Beautiful."

"Tell me what it looks like." Her sister specified.

"It matches your eye color. The cut makes you look thin, in a good way."

"Cai, I want to know what color it is!"

"I don't know how to describe color. There really isn't a way without comparing it to other colors and…" She didn't finish her sentence because she didn't need to remind Xiao that she had never seen colors before, but she knew what they were from their conversations.

"Try, please."

She thought for a long minute. Then it hit her. She could compare them to things that Xiao did know about! The gold of her dress reminded her of the sun. Xiao knew what the sun was.

"Your dress reminds me of the sun. Its gold colored. The same as the jewelry mother sometimes wears."

"Is it a good color?"

"Yes, a very good color. When someone tells you gold, think of how the sun warms your back when you do the laundry. Gold looks warm too."

Zhang Xiao smiled.

"I don't completely understand, but at least now I can have an idea. When I think of this gold color, I'll think of it as warm. What about your dress?"

"Mine looks like grass, when it first starts growing in the spring time."

"Is yours warm too?"

"No, mine looks like a cold color."

"Why do you want to wear a cold color?" Xiao asked her.

"Because of the color of my skin. It's also a cold color too, but yours is warm. You look better in warm colors than I would."

Xiao looked confused.

"I'll take your word for it."

They went out of Xiao's room and went to the kitchen, where their mother was keeping the tea warm. The three men were outside, presumably finishing the barn chores. Xiao launched into how Cai had compared her dress to the sun and young grass. She told them that she wanted to know what compare other colors to, like red and blue since those colors came up often. They compared water to blue and cherries to red. Xiao would never know what the colors looked like, but at least now she had something to think off whenever someone said, 'blue skies' or 'red roses'.

"But when someone says 'blue skies', it doesn't mean that it's going to rain." She explained. "Blue skies means that it's not going to rain or storm. Grey skies bring rain."

"And grey is like what old men's hair looks like, like Huang Zhong's." Xiao put together.

She was surprised by how excited Xiao was about this. Red, blue, gold, green and grey were only words to her. They were words that had no meanings, till now that is and could comparison really be considered a meaning? However, Xiao seemed to be delighted to have this new kind of knowledge of them, even if she couldn't completely understand it. So Cai decided not to say anything about her doubt.

Suddenly, Zhang Fei burst into the room.

"Brother Yu is here!"

She froze. Her stomach leaped into her throat, but she hid it behind a blank face as she followed her mother and sister to the door. She couldn't figure out if she was dreading this, or excited about it. All she knew was that she was nervous.

She watched the three Guans ride up the way. Her and Ping's night together lingered in her mind and hung over her head like a dark cloud of guilt. She was terrified that everyone would see the cloud and know what she had done. She swallowed back the lump that was forming in her throat and looked down at her feet to try and detach herself from reality. It almost worked, that is, if her father's hoarse voice hadn't boomed in her mind.

"It's good to see you again, brother."

The two men hugged. Guan Xing greeted Bao and Shao while Ping went to her and Xiao.

"Lady Zhang Xing Cai and Lady Zhang Xiao, it's good to see you again."

He stared at her as he said it, knowing that Xiao wouldn't notice. Cai could feel some color flush her cheeks. She didn't like how he had addressed her as formally as he could. 'Xing Cai' would have been fine, maybe 'Lady Zhang', but 'Lady Zhang Xing Cai'? Seriously? The only way he could have made her name longer was to go on with 'the daughter of Zhang Fei' or 'Lady of Shu' and any other thing she could possibly be known for. Simply calling her 'Cai' would have been worse. They had never been on a first name bases. If he started calling her 'Cai' all of a sudden, it would look suspicious.

"And you, Master Guan Ping." Both sisters responded in chorus.

There was an awkward pause.

"Won't you all come into the gardens? I've got drinks and snacks ready." Lady Xiahou asked.

They all made their way around the house, except for Bao and Shao who saw to all the Guan's horses. Cai stuck by Xiao's side. That way when they got to sitting down, Ping would only have half the chance to get a seat by her.

Somehow, she wasn't sure how he managed it, he took up a seat next to her. No, she wasn't going to be any closer to him than she absolutely had to and no one said that she had to sit next to him. So she stood up again and went to help her mother carry the drinks and snacks. She picked up the tray of drinks and began to hand them out. She took the opportunity to see what other seats were left. If there was a seat on the other side of Xiao, that would be perfect. Unfortunately, Xiao was sitting on the end of the bench. If she would take up her old seat, she would be in the middle. That wasn't exactly the position she wanted to be in. There was room enough next to Guan Yu, but that seat was quickly taken by Bao when he and Shao returned. Then to her great relief, Shao sat between Ping and Xiao.

Then she went to put the tray back into the kitchen.

"Is something wrong? You're being awfully quiet."

She spun around and saw her mother standing in the doorway.

"No, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Her mother pressed.

"Yes, I'm fine." She answered with more force in her voice.

Her mother was silenced by her angry tone.

"I'm sorry mother it's just… I… I really wish that I could go back to Shu. I feel… not useless, but I feel like I would be better off at Lord Liu Bei's side and…" She couldn't get her voice to finish the sentence.

To her complete shock, her mother smiled.

"Does this have anything to do with Liu Shan? I heard that the two of you got along really well."

She was left speechless. Her mother laughed in delight.

"Oh Cai! I knew it! I knew that you've changed since you left. I thought it had something to do with a man, and it's Liu Shan! That's perfect. Zhuge Liang has been writing to me for the past six months telling me to tell him if you showed any interest in him. He's wanted you to marry Shan. Our young lord to marry his father's greatest general, and sworn brother's daughter! Just think of it!"

Her voice seemed to need as much recovery time as her mind did from the initial shock. Zhuge Liang had been writing to her mother? Why didn't she say anything?

"Zhuge Liang's been writing to you?" Her voice managed to squeak.

"A letter a week now. You didn't think that I was only doing housework all day did you?"

"Zhuge Liang has been writing to you, about his plans for my future and you couldn't even show me the decency to tell ME!"

Her mind was overcome by rage. She had just spent countless hours over the past six months to try and figure out what she was going to be and now it was going to be decided for her! If that was true, then she had just wasted the better half of a year.

"Well she's telling you now!"

Zhang Fei came marching into the kitchen.

"You should be glad to be getting married to Shan. He's rich, a good fighter, he'll inherit his father's kingdom and he's not bad looking either. What more do you want?"

She wanted to scream; 'I want to be loved!', but it didn't make it past her lips.

"Fei, it's not set yet!" Her mother paused to regain her calm composure. "Just because she has a crush on Shan doesn't mean she's ready to marry him."

"I don't have a crush on Shan!"

She wanted to go on with how none of them knew exactly how much she had changed. She had killed many men in the battle. She had been baptized into the world of battle with the blood that was spilt in it. She made peace with her brother after two years of not getting along and… she had also completely shamed her honor willingly with her father's sworn brother's adopted son. She couldn't get herself to tell them that part.

"Crush or not, I'm giving Shan my blessing."

"I'll fight this every step of the way. Shan is my friend, not my love." She combated.

Before giving Zhang Fei another chance to speak, she turned and left. She went back up the stairs and into her chambers. Then she slammed the door behind her and flung herself face down on the bed. She knew things would get out of hand when she heard Master Guan Yu was coming, but she didn't think that it would get this bad and he had only been here for one afternoon.

Then there was a gentle knock at her door. It was more like a tap that was barely meant to be heard. She could tell by the rhythm and the weight of the footsteps that it was her mother.

"Cai?"

She came closer to the bed and sat on the bed next to her. Xing Cai rolled over to face her mother.

"Mother, when you married father were you… did you love him?"

Her mother smiled slightly.

"I was fourteen at the time. I was out gathering firewood when he came by and saw me. He fell in love and asked my father for my hand. Sure it was hard for a while, but after Bao was born, I realized that Fei had given me anything I ever wanted, a house, a salary we can live on and children. A while after that, I found that I was beginning to grow to like him."

She noticed how her mother didn't mention love, and she wanted more than just to like her husband. However, she would be lucky to have a husband at all after her and Ping…

"Don't worry about your father, or Zhuge Liang. They can't force you into mirage if they wanted to."

"But…"

"But nothing Cai. Society may say that they can, but if a woman is forced into mirage, there's no law saying that she has to be forced into his bed."

But what if she was already in someone's bed! She wasn't going to ask that of course. If she could keep it a secret, she would. After another moment of silence, she found that she was strangely comforted by her mother's twisted words. Besides, at her age, her mother already had two children with another on the way. She shivered at the very thought of it.

"Mother, what should I do?" She weakly asked as she sat up.

"Oh baby." Her mother suddenly embraced her in a hug. "Your father just wants to find a good husband for you."

She pulled away from her mother's embrace.

"Let me find him."


	12. A Fresh Start

12. A Fresh Start

She woke up late the next morning and left her room for the first time since she entered it. She put on a casual dress that wasn't anything but modest.

When she went downstairs, she found that breakfast was still sitting out even through it was clear that everyone else had already eaten. She grabbed a piece of fresh bread that was still warm, and went into the back yard to find everyone there. Bao was sparing with Guan Ping. Shao was paired with Xing. The four of them fought with blunt steel blades. Guan Yu and Zhang Fei were sitting on a bench on the side as they watched the duels. Xiao and Lady Xiahou were sitting on the bench next to them. Each had an instrument in their hands.

She seemed to be the odd one out. It became even more obvious when the four teenage boys stopped their sparing to stare. Her cheeks burnt. She tried to hide it by shoving the bread into her mouth.

"Ah Xing Cai, there you are. We were beginning to think that you were fallen ill. I am glad to see that that is not the case." Guan Yu told her.

"Hmmm." Was her response since her mouth was still full of food, but she gulped it down before continuing.. "I'm going into town. I won't be gone long. I should be back before midday. If I'm not, then don't wait for me if you all are hungry."

Without giving anyone a chance the subject, she turned on her heels and left for the stables. It may have been a spontaneous decision, but there had been an awful lot of letter sending lately and she had been left out of it up till now. She had a letter of her own to send to Zhuge Liang.

She flung the saddle on Beauty's back and tied the girth tight.

"Can I come with?"

She jumped at the sound of the voice she wasn't expecting and spun around to face it. Guan Ping stood behind her.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!" She gasped between breaths.

"Sorry, I… it's just that I have some business in town and I was hoping that you'd let me accompany you."

"_No! No, you can't come with me! What's wrong with you? Why would you even ask me that!"_ She thought.

She took a minute to catch her breath.

"Sure."

She froze. Her mind had been saying multiple things, but her mouth said the one thing she didn't want it to.

"Then we may as well take the cart." He decided.

He turned and went to get the family cart horse, Sunny. Sunny was a chestnut mare with a bold blaze on her forehead and long white socks on all four legs. In the time it took Cai to get the saddle off of Beauty and back in the tack room, Ping nearly had Sunny completely harnessed. She helped him with the final clips and then tied Sunny's harness to the four person cart. They both climbed up into the front bench. Ping took the lines and trotted Sunny down the way.

"What business do you have in town?" She questioned.

"I'm going to see if I can find a spear for my brother. When we go back to Chengdu, Xing's coming with us. So he'll need a few good weapons to choose from. What about you?"

"I have a letter to send."

He gave her an amused look.

"To who?"

"Lord Liu Bei." She blurted before she could stop herself.

"About what?"

"I… ah, I'm going to ask him to order me back to Chengdu."

"Why?"

"I need to get away from my family for a while."

"Really? It's only been six months since you got back." He pointed out.

She sensed that there was more to that question than what he let her hear. In fact, there was another question there. She would answer it without directly answering it, just as he didn't directly ask it.

"I'm of better use in Shu right now. If I could be fighting or sitting around at home, I'd rather be fighting. At least I could help get something done."

He nodded.

When they arrived at town, she went to the store to buy a scroll and borrowed a calligraphy brush from the owner to write a letter to Zhuge Liang. It was a pretty long letter compared to others she sent. In summary, she demanded how he dared to scheme a plot for her future as if she was just another land to be won for the Liu family. She told him that her fate was her own and that her duty to Shu did not involve marrying Shan.

She gave it to the owner when she was done and told him to make sure it got to Chengdu as fast as possible. Just as the owner took it to the post rider, Guan Ping came into the store.

"It's past midday, you hungry?"

"A little." She admitted.

"Good, there's a new place to eat since I've been here last."

She nodded and followed him down the streets till they got to a restaurant with tables and chairs on the inside and out. They sat down at a vacant table for two at the end. The serving girl came immediately.

"What can I get you?"

Ping turned to her.

"I bet you've eaten here before. You order for us."

"We'll have some fried rice and some tea."

The girl nodded and rushed off. When she was gone, Ping's face turned very serious, more serious than she ever remembered him being.

"Cai, what did you mean in that letter you gave me?"

"I just needed some time to think."

"About what?"

"About my future. It seems like everyone has a plan for my future but me. Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei both want me to marry Liu Shan."

He shifted uneasy. He probably had his own idea about her future too, but to his credit, he didn't tell her about it. A part of her wanted him to, but the other part didn't want to hear it. That part of her wanted to convince the other part that that night didn't really happen. She wondered if Ping felt the same way or if he felt different.

Before either one of them had a chance to say anything, the serving girl came back with their food.

"Aren't you Zhang Fei's daughter?" She asked.

Cai nodded.

"Yes, can you put this on our tab?"

"Of course."

The girl turned and left.

"You really should have let me pay." Ping told her.

"No, it's alright."

They ate in silence. When they were done, they left and went back to where Ping had left Sunny tied to one of the railings outside one of the inns. They climbed up and started toward home. It would take them about two hours to get back, but they only made it halfway before one of the wheels broke.

"Great!" She shouted.

The last thing she wanted was to be left alone in the woods with him again.

"We'll have to walk from here." He told her.

"Obviously!"

She rolled her eyes.

"Hey, it's not my fault that the wood on these wheels started rotting."

"Yeah, wood just doesn't seem to like you!" She combated, referring to the shades.

He flashed her an angry look.

"What's your problem?"

"I'd rather not be stuck in the woods with you again."

His face turned red.

"I asked you if… and you were the one to…" He couldn't finish either sentence. "Do you regret it now?"

She could barely believe his question.

"Regret it? I despise it. Neither one of us were thinking of the consequences! I could have become pregnant. Then what would I have done! My parents would have disowned me and I doubt that Lord Liu Bei would have let me return to Shu. I would have ended up at a brothel."

"You can still m…"

"Don't even say that! DON'T EVEN SAY THAT!"

Hot and angry tears began streaming down from her eyes.

"You said you'd save yourself, that you love…" He sighed. "Have I hurt you Xing Cai?"

His sudden change of tone made her feel guilty for shouting at him. She sat down on the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs which were pressed against her chest. She pulled some hair behind her ears and lowered her eyes to her feet.

"Only every second since you came back into my life."

There was a pause between them.

"Do you want me to leave?" He asked.

There was a long pause before she answered him.

"No, I want you to stay."

He kneeled down in front of her. One of his large, powerful hands gently clasped her arm, between her wrist and elbow.

"Are you thinking clear now?"

"I'm not sure."

She lowered her eyes even more, but she could still see Ping slowly nod his head. He moved closer to her and put both hands on her shoulders.

"I'm not sure what to think of you, Xing Cai."

"I'm not sure what to think of myself."

Her bent legs were the only things that were keeping them apart. They were like a barrier that was keeping him away. So she lowered them until she was sitting cross-legged. He took her hands in his and held them gently.

"I want you back in my life, Cai. We'll take this slow, how we should have before. We'll pretend like nothing happened before and have a fresh start. Okay?"

She shook her heard.

"No Ping, it did happen, and we can't lie to ourselves and pretend it didn't. We won't tell anyone it did, but we won't lie to ourselves either."

He nodded in agreement.

Xing Cai always presents herself in such a sophisticated way. I wanted to make her act like a normal teenage girl for once! Okay, twice if you count the pub at Chengdu.

* * *

A blaze is a white stripe-like marking on a horse's forehead that starts at the top and goes all the way to the nose. Socks are white hairs that grow up a horse's leg. They usually stop at the knees. If they go above the knees they're called stockings. I hope you all feel a little more horse savvy now!

P.S. Danielle Wolf, I worked Cao Pi into the story for you, but he won't come back until the Wuzhang plains.


	13. Engagements

13. Engagements

Xing Cai and Guan Ping returned to the house leading Sunny without the cart an hour or so later. They both were in light moods. She was glad that he wanted to start over and thankful that she could finally move past their selfish night. It had been her fault more than his, she knew that. She was the one stuck on it, but now she could move on, thanks to him. However, she wasn't going to forgive herself for it.

She knew that a few people in the families suspected her and Ping, but she didn't really care anymore. Their relationship wasn't a secret anymore. Now that she cleared the matter of a marriage to Liu Shan with Zhuge Liang, she was freed of his idea. She felt freed in so many ways. Even Zhang Fei couldn't manage to put her in a poor mood anymore. Her mother was to thank for that. Somehow, she wasn't sure how, she managed to convince him that Cai's future was her own to create as she willed.

She decided that she would return to Chengdu with or without her family. The new inspiration she had for her future wouldn't allow her to stay at home and do nothing. She wanted to serve Shu and Lord Liu Bei. So she prepared late that night and moved out early in the morning. Just when she left the stable, the entire Guan family, her brothers and her father came out.

"Mind if we come with?" Ping asked.

She turned to her brothers.

"What about mother and sister? How will they manage without you?"

"Why do you think we both took jobs? We earned enough money for mum to hire some help while we're gone." Zhang Shao explained.

She smiled. Good, mother and Xiao would need help without Shao.

"You're welcome to come." She answered. "If you think you can keep up with me."

They made it to Zhouzhou in record time. Their personal guards were waiting to escort them back to Chengdu. Although, they weren't particularly happy with leaving their homes early, but they were promised to be put back on leave earlier than they would have been if they would have returned at the normal time.

x

It took them a while, but they reach their destination within a reasonable time span. They were greeted into Chengdu with smiles and cheers from all the Shu soldiers and captains alike. All the generals were happy and yet, surprised, to see them, especially Lord Liu Bei.

"Brothers, I'm glad to see you, but why are you back so early?"

Zhang Fei and Guan Yu both bowed with their fists held in the opposite palm. She was surprised that her father showed Liu Bei such a sign of respect. He usually wasn't this formal or proper with anyone, ever.

"We were all eager to get back, especially my daughter." Her father answered.

Cai felt her cheeks turn pink. Liu Bei came over to her.

"Any particular reason?"

Uh oh, he may as well have asked her if she came back to spend time with Liu Shan. She bowed her head and cradled her fist in her palm.

"I am a servant of Shu. I belong on the field of battle to fight for our cause."

She chose her wording carefully. Saying something like; 'I belong at my lord's side' would suggest standing beside Liu Shan, since he was also her lord. To eliminate any doubt over the matter, she said 'our cause' not 'my lord's cause'.

Liu Bei seemed to understand, but he didn't let it show very much.

"I'm glad you're eager to get back to battle. Master Zhuge Liang has called for a war meeting. He has decided what our next move shall be."

With that, Liu Bei turned and left. The Zhangs and the Guans all went in the opposite direction of him, toward the stables. It took them a little while to get themselves and their horses settled in, but as soon as the Zhangs and the Guans were ready, the war council was assembled. The generals, including Lady Huang and herself, lined before the throne of Luo Castle where Liu Bei sat. Zhuge Liang and Liu Shan stood on either side of his seat. Zhuge Liang watched her with critical eyes as the other generals continued coming in. He fanned himself with his feathers held close to his chin. She would be a fool to ask herself if he had received the letter she sent. He had, and he clearly wasn't happy about it. She decided that he'll just have to get over it.

When everyone was in, Guan Ping stood on one side of her and Ma Chao stood on her other. Next to him was Zhao Yun. On the other side of Guan Ping was Guan Xing, then Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhang Bao and Shao. Across the long red carpet from her were the other generals, such as Huang Zhong, Ma Su, Zhuge Liang's new apprentice, Wei Yan and another man who she didn't know. He had long brown colored hair held up in a ponytail and wore silver splint armor with green robes underneath. His fine facial features were strong, yet calm as well.

Zhuge Laing started the meeting by stepping forward to address the generals.

"The love the people have for my lord, the legend of King Liu Bang in Hanzhong, who ascended the throne…" He paused. "When these are combined as one, we'll see the results in Hanzhong, where the people and all their hopes will then turn to the land of Shu."

"So we are to attack Hanzhong and link Liu Bei to the founder of the Han in the hearts and minds of the people." Zhao Yun summarized.

"Precisely Master Zhao Yun." Zhuge Liang confirmed. "We will start at Mt. Dingjun in Yi. It is not far from here. There are only two generals guarding it, Zhang He and Xiahou Yuan."

She froze. Xiahou Yuan, her great grandfather, was defending the area they would strike next.

"Only two generals?" Liu Shan asked. "But Cao Cao is miles away. He couldn't hope to defend it if it was attacked."

"Exactly why we should take it, my young lord."

The great strategist turned to Lord Liu Bei.

"Since there are only two generals, and since neither one of them having any great or legendary prowess in battle, I see this as the perfect opportunity to test the skills of the next generation."

Cai's heart leaped in her chest. She looked at Guan Ping. He gave her a look of excitement, which she returned. However, a crease formed on Liu Bei's brow. He didn't seem too intent on the idea of sending the 'greenies' out, in Huang Zhong's words.

"That's a fine idea, Zhuge Liang, but you have to understand that I'm slightly troubled by the idea of sending my son and our other young fighters out against Cao Cao's generals."

"Father, what better opportunity for me, and the others, to prove to you what we have learned from Zhao Yun and Zhuge Liang?" Shan asked, clearly excited about the idea as well.

Xing Cai stepped forward to voice her opinion.

"I agree, my lord. We will not fail you."

Liu Bei waved his hand at her. Not something she was used to, to be brushed aside like that. It made her slightly angry, but she was more annoyed than angry. It felt as if her opinion wasn't as important. Those feelings quickly vanished when Liu Bei spoke again.

"It's not the failure to take the mountain that I'm afraid of."

Now she felt as if she was a child again. Liu Bei and Guan Yu had always fussed about her safety when she was younger. Zhang Fei gave her free rein, but always came to any kind of 'rescue' she needed whether it be a scrapped knee of bruised elbow. This time, she wouldn't be falling off a horse or tripping on the stairs. This time, she would be riding into battle. So that's probably a legitimate reason from Liu Bei to worry. She guessed she could give him that.

"It's decided." Liu Bei declared. "Zhuge Liang, we'll send my son, Guan Yu and Xing and the three Zhangs, but just for the sake of my nerves, Huang Zhong, you will also accompany them."

She felt a smile spread across her face. The new generation was going to fight a battle all their own. With help from Huang Zhong of course. Still, this was their battle. This was their chance to prove their worth. She had no doubt that Liu Bei would have a backup plan if things went wrong long before they marched off to battle. She guessed that he would have Zhao Yun follow them, or maybe Liu Bei himself would. She didn't care, as long as that backup plan didn't have to be put into effect.

x

A few hours later, Xing Cai went down to the stables to give Beauty a good grooming. She worked hard, at least until her forehead began to sweat. A little after that, her arm began to ache. She decided that she didn't need to be sore before going to battle, and if she had to be, it better be from training, not from grooming her horse. So she went to the training courtyard and spared with anyone who would have a go at her. She fought Zhao Yun, Guan Ping, Xing, Zhang Bao, Shao and Ma Chao. Her entire body ached by the time the sun set. Just when she was about to retire for the evening, Liu Shan came to her with a sword made of wood in his hands. That young man with the ponytail who had been at the meeting was also with him.

"I heard that you've gone through just about every general in Shu. I was hoping you'd let me have a go."

"Not every, general lord. Only half." She replied.

"Would you like to see if you can add another victory tonight?"

She decided not to tell him that she only fought the generals until she won, no matter how many times that they had beaten her in the process. Instead, she only smiled. Then she changed the subject in the hope that Shan might forget about the duel. She was sore and tired and not really in the mood to fight him.

"I would my lord, but first I would like to know your friend's name."

She indicated the man with the silver armor.

"Oh, of course. This is Jiang Wei, Zhuge Liang's new apprentice."

How many apprentices did Zhuge Liang need?

"Nice to meet you Master Jiang Wei." She formally greeted.

He smiled at her, making her regret her earlier mental criticism.

"It's nice to meet you too Lady Zhang, but I'm no master. You can simply call me 'Jiang Wei'."

She nodded. Shan laughed, both of them stared at him for an explanation.

"Cai never calls anyone by anything other than their full name and title."

Frustration flooded her.

"Ranks are what define our duties. Protocol keeps us in line. Names are what define us and titles are a sign of respect for who they are and what they have done. I think it is important for us to show respect for each other. Now if you excuse me, I'm tired and I'm going to go for a wash. I'll see you at dinner."

Jiang Wei nodded.

"See you at dinner." Shan responded, sounding annoyed.

Oh well, she had burned out her politeness. She turned and left, glad that she managed to get Shan to forget about the duel that they were going to have. She even managed to do it without lying. She went and washed and changed before dinner. On the way there, she ran into Guan Ping, who was waiting for her. They went to dinner together and sat together. She could feel Zhuge Liang's eyes on her the entire time, but she didn't care. His battle strategies had no effect when it came to her. No matter what he did would affect her. She wasn't going to marry Shan.

After dinner, she and Ping went for a walk down the streets of Chengdu. Before she realized it, they were walking hand in hand, but she didn't mind it. They started talking about the battle to come. Both of them, their siblings, Huang Zhong and Jiang Wei now too, were all going. They were going to leave the day after tomorrow and the final preparations had already been made.

"Jiang Wei's already got our strategy ready. He's been over it a few times with Zhuge Liang. That's probably what they're doing now." He told her.

"I wouldn't be surprised." She responded.

Their shoulders bumped during their latest stride, but they didn't separate again because they were walking so close. He stepped in front of her and cut her off in her tracks. They stood inches apart. His breath on her face was the warmest part of the night. His hand glided up from her arm to her neck and rested just below her jaw line. Their eyes met and never parted.

"Why are we wasting time, Cai?" He asked in the gentle voice.

A lump formed in her throat.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why are we just wasting our time and doing nothing? I know that I hurt you, and I'm sorry, but now you're hurting me by ignoring me. Are you trying to get back at me or something?"

"No, I… I'm just not ready to make the commitment."

"Yes you are, and you know it. Otherwise you wouldn't have let me…" He didn't finish.

She looked down at her feet.

"Cai, let's just get married. We've already proved our love to each other and this way, Zhuge Liang won't be able to force you to marry Shan."

She didn't answer.

"Don't you want to marry me?"

She wrapped her fingers around the hand that was on her neck. His hands were rough, but tender with their touch.

"Yes," She whispered. "I do want to marry you, but not until we take Mt. Dingjun."

He smiled.

"Duty first?"

She gave a weak smile. He smiled wider.

"Then we're engaged, and we'll be married after we engage the enemy at Dingjun."

She smiled too and looked up at him. With his hand still under her jaw, he raised her chin to his level. She closed her eyes. He began to kiss her gently. His fingers tingled the skin of her nape as they began to glide down her front. She put her hands on his powerful forearms. His hands stopped on her waist. She moved her hands down his arms to his wrists so that she could control where his hands went and prevent them from going too far.

x

By the time they were ready to leave for Dingjun, it was almost midmorning. This time, she packed light, very light. All she brought was her fork, shield, armor and a spare dress for when she wasn't wearing her armor, which she was already wearing. Everything she needed for Beauty, the mare already wore.

She was just about to step up into the saddle when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned and saw Zhuge Liang standing before her.

"Xing Cai, I have a special favor to ask you. I would like you to keep an eye on Liu Shan for me. We can't have our young lord getting wounded now."

"I'm sorry, Lord Strategist, but Jiang Wei has planned for me to go on the front lines with Huang Zhong and Guan Ping."

He stepped closer to her and lowered his voice.

"It's not just on the battle field I'm talking about. I'm asking you to reconsider my proposal to marry Liu Shan."

Her look turned into a glare.

"I'm sorry once again, Zhuge Liang," She really wasn't, but he probably already knew that. "but it's too late for that. I've already made some plans of my own."

The war party behind her began to move out, except for Guan Ping who was riding Star. He was watching her carefully. Zhuge Liang noticed. Cai turned away from him and put her foot in the stirrup. Then she swung into the saddle.

"Don't tell me that you've…" Zhuge Liang started.

She reined Beauty toward where Guan Ping was waiting for her. She heard an angry noise come from the strategist behind her, but didn't really care.

x

That evening, they were moving along Yangping pass as the golden sun set. The pass was a small narrow road that would take them to Mt. Dingjun which they should arrive at just on time for a nighttime ambush of the Wei main camp. That was the plan Jiang Wei and Zhuge Liang had come up with anyway. She wasn't sure if it would work or not, but she wasn't exactly a grand master strategist either. She was a warrior. Her duty was to follow orders and achieve victory. That usually meant achieving victory by following orders.

Xing Cai, Guan Ping, Liu Shan, Jiang Wei and all the others were riding in front of the three thousand soldiers following them. When the last rays of the sun vanished, she leaned down and gave Beauty a few pats on the withers. When she sat up straight in the saddle again, she turned to Liu Shan.

"If we don't get to Dingjun within a few minutes, what are we going to do?"

They couldn't exactly just make a camp for three thousand people.

"We're going to get to the Wei camp within the hour at worst." Shan told her as he pointed ahead. "It's just on the other side of that ridge."

"Right, then best to prepare now." Bao figured.

All of them began to pull out their weapons. Cai had tied her shield over her left knee on the saddle since that's where the cavalry usually tied theirs and pulled her battle fork from her back. She had tied it like an archer tied a quiver across their backs. It worked well for quivers, but for a long weapon like hers, it was hard to get free again.

Then there was a loud noise, like thunder coming from all directions. She looked up and saw that it wasn't thunder. It was the blue uniformed Wei soldiers. Guan Ping's voice rang in her head amongst the battle cries.

"What? We've fallen into an ambush!"

* * *

Yay! I finally get to do a battle scene now!


	14. The Battle of Mt Dingjun

14. The Battle of Mt. Dingjun

Zhang Xing Cai leaped down off her horse with her shield and battle fork in hand. She skewered the first soldier to attack her and slashed him to the side to die. She turned and used her shield to deflect the next sword that was coming down at her. Then she bashed the shield into the sword's handler.

"Xing Cai!"

Guan Ping came running over to her and sliced through another Wei soldier.

"Are you alright!"

"I'm fine." She answered as she cut into another blue uniform. "How about you?"

"I'll be better when we've taken Dingjun and return to Chengdu to everyone's shocked faces."

She was about to ask; 'shocked when they see us victorious, or shocked when they see us married?' She didn't ask. That would only distract them both and they were in the middle of an ambush.

She spun around to run her latest opponent through. When the crimson stained blue uniform fell away she saw her mother's grandfather, her great grandfather, and Cao Cao's cousin and trusted general, Xiahou Yuan. He was the man that linked her to Wei. He wore a mixture of colored armor varying from leather to silver to gold over his tanned skin. However, no armor covered the base of his hairy gut. His jaw line was hidden by a scruffy brown beard. His long graying hair was pulled into a fuzzy ponytail. Wrinkles had formed at the sides of his hazel eyes. Over all, he resembled what an older and horribly groomed version of Cao Cao would look like, but Cao Cao kept himself well shaven and physically fit. So it wasn't likely that Cao Cao's appearance would deteriorate to look like that of Xiahou Yuan's.

Xing Cai pulled her battle fork free and charged him. He saw her coming and laughed at the sight of her. He blocked her attack with ease. She came back at him with another swing of her fork, but he blocked it with his giant sword. There was no way her light battle fork could complete with the heavy blade.

Then the blade came at her head. She ducked behind her shield for protection. The sword hit hard. A clanging noise rang out as steel hit against steel. Without thinking, she brought her knee up and slammed the metal plate that covered it into his hairy gut. He let out a loud grunt and before she had a chance to react, his arm came swinging up. The steel plate hit her across the face. She had expected to see a flash of red. That would mean that he broke her nose, but she hadn't. In fact, she had been fortunate enough to turn her face slightly so that the armor hit her in the check bone. The blow had been so powerful that she was thrown off her feet and landed on her back. He kicked her fork out of her hand and stepped down on her shield. She arm was strapped on the shield, so she couldn't move under his weight.

"Now what shall I do with you?" He questioned.

When he clearly came up with an idea that she didn't want to hear about, he told her.

"First, I would like to know your name."

She glared up at his smirking face.

"Zhang Xing Cai."

Xiahou Yuan's eyes went wide.

"You're Zhang Fei's daughter, not only that, you're my great granddaughter!" He laughed. "You'd make quite the hostage. Oh the leverage we could have with you... Anyway, how's your mom doing? I hope Zhang Fei's been treating my granddaughter wah... ah..."

His voice stopped in mid-word. His legs gave out and he fell too his knees, freeing her shield from his weight, and in turn, her arm. She rolled over to avoid being landed on. Her great grandfather collapsed next to her with an arrow in his back. Xing Cai quickly sat up to look where the arrow had come from. Huang Zhong lowered his bow arm.

"You alright, little lady?"

The initial shock wore off so she smiled. Copying their exact exchange during Ma Chao's attack, she responded;

"Of course."

She looked about her for her fork and found it a short ways away. So she got to her feet and ran over to it. She kneeled down and picked it up, when she got up straight again, she heard Liu Shan yell;

"Soldiers of Wei, your commander is dead and Cao Cao is miles away! There is no rescue coming for you! Surrender now and defect to Shu and your lives shall be spared!"

Everyone froze. Smiles spread across the faces of those wearing green. Ponder was on those in blue. After a while, half of those dressed in blue dropped their weapons. Those who didn't used their blades to strike down those who did shouting;

"Scum!"

"Traitors!"

"You dogs!"

Those, among other things were shouted that she didn't see proper to repeat when she would tell this story to her father. She tightened her grip on her shield and prepared for an attack, but the only fighting that was going was between the Wei soldiers. After a little while longer, all the blue soldiers would be dead. She sprang forward to attack, but a powerful arm grabbed her. It was Liu Shan.

"Leave them." He ordered her.

"But they're going to kill themselves!" She argued.

"Exactly." He confirmed.

"What?"

"Why fight when we can let our enemies kill themselves? This way, our men will be spared."

Cai didn't like it, but she didn't argue either. Shan was right. All the Wei soldiers were going to die, this way none of the Shu soldiers had to, but it unnerved her that Shan was so good at turning people against each other or maybe it was that the men of Wei didn't know better. She decided not to think about it anymore when she saw Guan Ping coming over to them. He must have heard what Liu Shan had said.

"Guan Ping, I have an assignment for you and Cai. Go to their main camp and light it on fire. Think you can handle that?"

She nodded.

"Of course we can." She answered for them both. "We'll go on foot so that they won't hear horses coming."

She unstrapped her shield from her arm and handed it to Liu Shan.

"Take this, it will only slow me down."

Ping motioned for her to follow him. They took off into the woods. The night was dark. If it weren't for the full moon, they wouldn't have been able to see at all. Every once in a while she would trip on a rock or fallen branch she hadn't seen, but she always managed to catch herself. Her ankle began to burn with pain, but she didn't let a single noise escape her to give away her agonizing pain to Ping, who was ways ahead of her. When they came to an opened field, she sprinted until she was right behind him then slowed down again when they went back into the woods.

After a few minutes of silent running, they spotted light ahead. Ping stopped in his tracks. Cai walked a few more steps to come up next to him. They exchanged nervous glances before continuing on. They jogged with their backs arched down so that their heads were low. When they got to the edge between the forest and the camp, they crouched down behind a bush. She couldn't help but notice that he had his hand on the small of her back.

"See those torches?" Ping whispered to her.

He pointed at some torches that were hanging by the tents.

"We can use those to set the tents on fire. The fewer people that see us are the fewer people that we'll have to fight. Just stay behind me, Xing Cai."

"You know you don't need to worry about me." She pointed out.

He gave her a look that said he wasn't too sure about that. They stayed still and waited for the right moment to attack. As soon as the latest patrol man left, Ping said;

"Now is our chance, Xing Cai!"

Then they charged into the camp. Cai went for the nearest torch and threw it at the nearest tent. Then she looked over at Ping, who was using his torch to sent a tent ablaze, then took it to over to the next. She grabbed the next torch she could find and did the same.

"FIRE!"

They were seen!

"Come on!"

She followed Ping through the camp. They held their torches to the side so that the flames would brush against the rough fabric of the tent and light it. The soldiers began to scramble for water, but it was too late. By the time she and Ping got to the other side of the camp, half of it was being consumed. No doubt that the men were ordered not to abandon their posts, otherwise they would have abandoned the camp all together.

She and Ping stopped once they were outside the camp. They dropped the torches and breathed hard for air. The heat of the fire felt good on her face, but she wanted to get far away from here so that she wouldn't have to smell the stench of burning flesh. For right now, they were just going to catch their breath.

"There they are! GET THEM!" One of the scouts screamed.

"GO!" Ping shouted.

She led the way into the woods, running as fast as she could. Ping was never more than a step behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a half a dozen soldiers following them with their spears in hand. If there was ever a time that her ankle hurt her more than it did now, she couldn't think of exactly when that was. She tried not to, but she started limping. A bolt of pain shot up her leg every time her foot hit the ground. She knew she wasn't going to be able to run much further. Ping grabbed her fork from her so that she wouldn't have to carry it. She was grateful that he was trying to make it easier for her, but it wasn't much good.

Her ankle finally gave out and she fell on her side. She bit her lips together with her teeth to prevent herself from screaming out. Ping kneeled down at her side and looked over where the men following them would be.

"They're gone, we've lost them." He told her.

She sighed in relief. If she would have screamed, then she may have given their position away. He turned back to her.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I'll be fine. I just need a break."

If only they would have taken a horse, or stolen one of the horses from the stable tent. Then they could have gotten back to Yangping pass before morning. Now, she had no idea when they would get back. It all depended on how fast her ankle would feel better.

Guan Ping moved in front of her and pulled her boot off to examine her ankle.

"It's pretty hot and swollen. I don't think we'll be going anywhere any time soon."

He laid down next to her and let out a sigh.

"You can go on and come back with a horse." She told him.

He gave her an intense look. She could see the seriousness in his face even in the dark.

"I'm not going to leave you here by yourself, barely a mile away from Wei's camp." He sternly replied, which surprised her because she had never seen him be so stern before.

"Well, you can't exactly carry me back either."

"Then we're stuck out here for a while."

He folded his arms behind him and rested on his head on his palms as he laid on his back to look up at the sky. Cai also laid down on her back, an arm's distance away from him though. The realization of the coldness in the air hit her like a slap in the face. For the past few hours, her blood had been running too high or she had been running too hard for her to notice. Now that the action was over, she felt just how cold it was now that the sun was down. When the coolness of the air pierced through her skin, she broke out into a cold sweat. Then she began to shiver. Guan Ping noticed almost immediately.

"Here."

He took off his fur vest and handed it to her, leaving his own chest completely bare against the cold night air. She reluctantly took the vest and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was still warm from him, which could be expected, but she still lingered on that fact for a moment. She took in a long breath through her nose, the fur smelled of his sweat.

Suddenly, there was an explosion. Both of them shot up to the upright position as the Wei camp erupted into flames. The heat of it hit her face. She used her arm to shield her eyes from the brightness of it. When the brightness faded, she lowered her arm. She and Ping looked at each other and laughed victoriously. She laughed so hard that she fell on her back. Ping sank and held his upper body up with his elbows.

"I can't wait to see the look on Zhuge Laing's face when we tell him about this." He told her.

"I can't wait to tell him about how well fell into an ambush and still managed to get our victory." She replied.

She looked over at him to find he was already watching her. Their eyes didn't part for a heart pounding minute. Ping shifted to his elbow so that the distance between them was cut in half. He raised his hand and brushed away a few stray hairs from her face.

"I can't wait to tell them all about our engagement." He whispered.

She wiggled the rest of the way over to him. He put his arm around her shoulder and rested his palm on her steel shoulder armor, which was covered by his vest. He leaned into to kiss her, but she stopped him by whispering;

"Zhuge Liang already knows."

"Did you tell him?"

"Only so that he would stop bothering me about Shan."

She raised her fingertips and traced his jaw line. Her fingers stopped when they came to the back of his neck. They paused for a moment then pulled their lips together for a long passionate kiss. Ping pulled his lips away.

"Are you going to regret this?"

She slowly shook her head as she barely breathed her answer;

"No."

Truthfully, she knew she wouldn't regret it. They might not be married yet, but they were engaged. That had to count for something, but Ping hadn't reacted. He just stared into her eyes. So she slowly lowered her eyelids and raised her lips. He met her halfway. His hands gently pulled the vest off her shoulders. She sank down onto her back. Then he moved halfway on top of her. He reached down and pulled her other boot off. His hand came up the inside of her knee and peeled her legs apart. He came down in between her spread thighs. She had kept her hands on his bare chest, but now she let them go up across his ribs and roam on his back.

x

When the others found them, they found them walking down Yangping pass from the Wei camp side by side, but a few feet apart. Ping and Cai were smarter than to be caught walking closer than what would be considered normal for two generals. What would have been the only cause for suspicion was the sweat on their brows and the limp in Cai's stride. Even then, that wouldn't suggest anything.

"You did it!" Zhang Shao shouted.

"Just wait till we tell the others about this!" Guan Xing added.

Liu Shan smiled bigger than any of the others. Of course, he had the most at stake and as a result, he had gained the most in this victory. He wasn't risking his claim as Liu Bei's heir though. Liu Bei only had two other sons, and they were significantly younger than he was, but now he proved to his father, and the others that he deserved to inherit his father's legacy.

There was a step by step direction book for young men to follow to inherit the throne. Everyone knew it and Liu Shan was following it to the mark. Step one was to master ever kind of political science there was. Shan had mastered all that. The second step was to learn as much about battle strategies as you could. Shan took care of that by sitting in on Zhuge Liang's lessons with Ma Su and Jiang Wei. Then step three was to participate in war council and other kinds of meetings, which Shan had already been doing for years. Step four, was to prove your own worth on the battle field. The last two steps were to take a wife and produce and heir to insure that the kingdom would still have a future.

She smiled when she realized that she wasn't going to have to any part of that. After the chaos was over, she could have a small house with Ping in the country, away from the political arena. However, that was thinking very far into the future. Further than she probably should. So she refocused on the now.

"All that's left for us to do is to lay siege to the main camp." Guan Ping announced before turning to her. "You should go and see the doctor about your ankle. The sooner you can get something cold on it, the better."

She nodded. Liu Shan stepped toward her.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, just an old injury is bothering me again."

"Well, I'll take you to see the doctors just in case." He decided.

She forced a flattered smile. The two of them went back toward the spot they were ambushed at while everyone else went to secure the Wei main camp. After a few paces, her limp got worse and she cringed every time she had to put weight on it. So Liu Shan insisted that she put her arm over his shoulder. She wasn't accustomed to accepting help from other people like this, but she did anyway. Just for the sake of her ankle. This made their progress slow in getting back to the ambush site. It was totally different from when she and Ping had left it. Graves were being dug on the side of the hill. There were a dozen doctors all of whom were kneeling over one patient or another. Weapons and armor were being sorted into piles to be reused. Of course, the Wei armor would be repainted first.

Liu Shan shouted to one of the doctors.

"Do you have a minute! One of my generals needs attention."

The doctor stood up from the side of the dead man he was examining and ran over to them.

"What is it?"

"My ankle." She answered.

The doctor pointed over to some rocks.

"Let's go over there."

Shan helped her over to the rocks. She sat herself down on one that was as tall as her knees. The doctor kneeled in front of her and pulled her boot off. She winced. His hands went up and down from the arch of her foot to the halfway point of her heel and her knee.

"Nothings broken, but it's a pretty bad sprain. You might want to consider walking with a cane for a few days, just so that it has time to heal."

She hadn't walked with a cane when she first injured her ankle, and she had no intention of walking with one now. She was still young and she had plenty of time for canes and all that for when she was an old woman. However, no one else saw it that way, and she was sent back to Chengdu that very afternoon. Shan had sent two dozen soldiers with her to serve as escorts to get her back to Luo castle. On the way back, she kept her foot dangling instead of putting it in the stirrup. That was, only the weight of her foot was bothering her ankle, but even if her ankle were completely recovered, that still wouldn't make up for the fact that she was sent back early. The fighting part of the battle was over, but she was going to miss the clean up and she wouldn't get a station at Dingjun either. She was hoping that Liu Shan would post her at the mountain for a little while, then she wouldn't have to return to Zhuge Liang's attempts to get her to marry Shan. She didn't really have to worry about that now, but she was afraid he would try harder than ever to get her to like Shan.

She had been on the road for a few hours when she heard a rider approaching from behind. She turned in the saddle and saw that it was Guan Ping. He slowed Star down at just the right time so that they were riding side by side.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

"I told Shan that I had some family business in Chengdu, and that I had to get there as soon as possible."

"Did something happening to your father?"

"No."

"Then what family business do you have?"

"Making sure you're alright. We are family now Xing Cai, and not just because of the oath our fathers took to be brothers."

She looked away from him and smiled to herself.

"Well, now I won't have to tell everyone by myself."

* * *

Mwahahahaha! Not like any battle you'd get when playing the game right? Sorry for the late update!


	15. Secrets Kept

Not a single review for chapter 14 :(

Come on guys! I love writing these stories, but when no one reviews... I'm not going to stop updating because I love this story so much, but I also want to know what you think! That's why I joined this website in the first place!

* * *

15. Secrets Kept

Xing Cai and Guan Ping arrived at Luo castle late that night. Although they hadn't said a word about it, they both debated ways of telling their fathers about the engagement in their heads. There was no doubt in her that Zhang Fei would be harder to tell then Guan Yu, since Zhang Fei's reaction was not predictable. They could guess that Guan Yu would keep his usual calm and respecting manor. Zhuge Liang already knew, the only thing that concerned her about him was if he was still going to try and court her to Liu Shan, or if he had gone and told everyone about it. Liu Bei would probably just be happy for them. Besides, there were plenty of other women from his son to marry, Zhang Xiao for example. Zhao Yun would probably be like a happy uncle. As far as Ma Chao went, she didn't know him well enough to predict his reaction. Nor did she know Jiang Wei well enough to guess at how he would react. Wei Yan would probably just be happy that he could have all the wine he could drink out of the deal. She pictured Huang Zhong telling stories about his wife and giving her and Ping both advice like a grandfather would. Lady Huang would probably be delighted and beg to help her with the dresses or something. Zhuge Liang, if he did react, it would probably be something like;

"_Not now, I'm planning a battle. This will only distract the generals."_

Or

"_I was planning on sending you away with Liu Shan to some distant land for a while so that you can't get married to Ping and fall in love with Shan instead."_

Alright, maybe he wouldn't be that blunt about it, but he would come up with some sort of excuse or another to postpone the wedding at the very least.

Both she and Ping climbed down off of the horses and led them over to the stables, where they found Zhao Yun and Ma Chao cleaning their saddle blankets as they sat on some turned water buckets. They were discussing one of the stallions that they were having a difficult time training. When they heard their footsteps, they looked up. Both of their faces filled with shock and they jumped to their feet.

"You're back!" Ma Chao exclaimed.

"So soon? How did it go?" Zhao Yun asked.

She and Ping both smiled.

"We fell into an ambush, but fought it off and burned Wei's camp." Ping summarized.

"Where are the others?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Shan, Haung Zhong and Jiang Wei are all staying at Dingjun for a while. The others should be back tomorrow night." Ping answered.

That's when Cai realized that she had been so busy with her own thoughts on the way back that she forgot to ask him who else was coming back. Well, she knew now.

"Here, both of you look exhausted, Yun and I will take care of your horses for you." Ma Chao told them.

"Thank you."

She handed Beauty's reins to Ma Chao while Zhao Yun took Star's. She walked with Guan Ping to the castle, then after saying goodnight, went their separate ways to their chambers. Once inside her own room, she stripped her boots and armor off. She changed into a nightgown and collapsed onto her bed. Her head was spinning she was so tired. She hadn't slept at all last night, and the morning before that had been an early one. She hadn't eaten since yesterday afternoon, a few hours before the ambush and she was starving, but when it came to food or sleep. She wanted sleep more. So if Guan Ping was going to come throwing pebbles on her window to take her out for another riding lesson, he was going to be disappointed, because there was no way that she was coming out of bed before midmorning tomorrow.

x

When Cai did wake up the next morning, she woke up just on time for lunch. She was going to be late in getting to the dining hall because she wanted nothing more than to bathe first. So she washed the dirt, sweat and blood off her then changed into a casual looking silver and black colored dress for lunch. Her hair was still wet when she sat down next to Guan Ping. She noticed that he had washed too. She could tell because the dirt smudges were gone from his face and arms, but he must have been up earlier than she was because his hair was dry. She also noticed a few small cleaned cuts on his arms and one on his cheek. She hadn't gotten any cuts, but her left arm and shoulder were both sore. No doubt it was from Xiahou Yuan standing on her shield and bending her arm in ways it wasn't supposed to.

She quickly dismissed these thoughts and looked if there were any peaches on the table. There weren't. Disappointed, she served herself some rice, wishing there were some sort of sweet fruit here.

"Ah good you're both up now." Liu Bei said as he walked in and took his seat at the head of the table. "I heard that the battle was a complete success from the men that traveled with you."

"You must tell us the story." Zhao Yun added.

She looked around and found that she hadn't noticed how every general was sitting at the table. She had just walked, sat down and served herself some rice. She must be more hungry and tired than she thought to not notice everyone was here.

"Yes," Zhang Fei agreed. "I would like to hear about how all my children fought in their first battle together."

Cai hadn't even had a chance to get one serving of rice in her mouth and she was starving, but she couldn't exactly ignore everyone at the table to eat either. So she started the story.

"We were going along Yangping pass when Wei ambushed us from every side..."

"It was pretty chaotic." Ping added.

Cai took his interruption to her advantage and shoved some food in her mouth. When he looked back at to continue, she was chewing fast as she could. So everyone looked at Guan Ping to continue. Left with no other choice, he started the story himself.

"Lucky for us, Wei's soldiers weren't as well trained as ours were. We have Zhao Yun to thank for that."

Zhao Yun couldn't help but smile. He brushed the compliment off with a wave of his hand and by saying;

"I'm just glad that I was able to help."

Cai continued to eat through out all this. No one seemed to notice and Ping accepted his role as the story teller. So she was off the hook.

"Then Shan shouted out, ordering the Wei soldiers to surrender or die. After a few minutes, some of the soldiers did, but the others started to kill the ones that defected. The people from Shu wanted to stop them, but Shan told us not to. He said that why get our own men killed when our enemies can go ahead and kill each other?"

Cai decided not to cut in and tell everyone about how Huang Zhong killed her great grandfather. Then word of it would certainly get to her mother, and she wasn't sure how her mother would take her grandfather's death. She had never discussed that subject with her and had no intention to, ever. Xiahou Yuan was dead now. So there was no reason for anyone to suspect her of secretly liking Wei. She knew that she was the more paranoid of people thinking that than they were of actually suspecting her. No one had ever challenged her allegiance to Shu in any way whatsoever, but still. She, Bao and Shao were the only ones linked to Wei, other than Zhang Fei. In fact, if anyone should be suspected of being loyal to Wei, it should be him. After all, he had married one of the ladies of the Wei court, but he was also Liu Bei's sword brother. So that probably out did his Wei wife.

Cai decided not to worry about it anymore. She also decided to use this fact against Zhang Fei if he protested her marriage to Guan Ping. She could picture the scene in her head.

"_No, I won't let you marry Guan Ping!"_

"_You're not one to lecture me on finding a proper spouse. You married a woman of Wei, remember? Ping is your sword brother's adopted son and has been loyal to Shu his entire life. Not only is he a good political match for me, but I also love him!"_

Her father couldn't argue with that.

A smile spread across her face. Then she quickly shoved some more food into her mouth and tuned back in to Guan Ping's story.

"Then Liu Shan had me and Cai go burn the Wei camp. We used their torches to set the tents on fire and ran away before the archers could take us down. Then we followed the road until the others found us. It was morning by then."

She didn't say a word about the events between the burning of the camp and when the others found them, but Zhuge Laing did.

"Morning you say? How come it took you so long to get back?"

His voice had been cold and slow. Her heart started pounding. Luckily, Ping seemed ready for this.

"You see Zhuge Liang, we had run to the camp through the trees. So our path was shorter and we had traveled faster. On the way back, we had to go in the opposite direction from Yangping pass for a while to lose some soldiers that were chasing us. Just before we lost them, Cai's old ankle injury started bothering her again. So we swung around back onto the road for easier going and started walking."

Everything Ping had said was true, he had just left out a few parts, which technically wasn't lying. However Zhuge Liang didn't look completely satisfied with Ping's explanation and was probably wondering why Cai hadn't said anything. He turned toward her for her explanation. Unfortunately for him, it was simply because she hadn't eaten for a full day and was starving and he wasn't going to get anything else out of her.

"Well Lady Zhang..."

Ugh, 'Lady Zhang' again. She decided to stop calling people by their full names and titles from now on. Simply because of how annoying it sounded when Zhuge Liang did it.

"we've heard Guan Ping's story, how about we hear yours now?"

Cai gulped down the latest mouthful of rice she had taken and sat up straight.

"Unfortunately Zhuge Liang, mine and Guan Ping's stories are the same. After all, we were fighting in the same ambush and were sent on the same mission to burn the camp." She reminded.

Everyone at the table, but Zhuge Liang, laughed. She admired how didn't let his cheeks turn red, even though she could clearly see that he was angry at her for slightly humiliating him. Well, too bad for him. He shouldn't be nosing so deep into her business.

Just then a soldier came running in and announced.

"Liu Shan has been stopped approaching the city. He should reach the gates by nightfall."

Cai turned to face Ping and raised her eyebrows.

"_Now or later?"_ She mouthed to him.

"_Later."_ He mouthed back.

She gave him a knowing smile and looked back down at her food.

x

When the sun approached the final stage of its descent, Liu Shan came through the castle gates with the other generals following behind, except for Huang Zhong. He had volunteered to stay and guard the mountain against Wei, who might still consider trying to take it back. That was highly unlikely considering the blow Wei had just taken.

Luo castle erupted into chaotic celebration. There was a grand feast in the hall. Xing Cai and Guan Ping both tried not to look at each other. She could feel her face blushing. Zhuge Liang must have noticed this and commented it her notable silence.

"You've been very quiet Xing Cai, something wrong?"

She wanted to figure out if he was baiting her into something before answering, but she didn't have any time to.

"No, I'm still just tired from the battle is all."

He didn't seem convinced, but she still didn't care.

x

The next morning she woke up tired. Zhuge Liang must be purposely trying to torture her because he announced that he would be having a war council meeting right away in the morning. So she got up and got dressed. Then she went down to the throne room. All the generals were there, but neither Liu Bei nor Zhuge Liang was there. She went over to where Zhao Yun and Ma Chao were. They were talking about the horses and were worried that they might not have enough trained ones for the soldiers to ride on the way to Hanzhong.

Who's sick idea was this, have a council meeting the morning after a feast? Half of them were on a hangover. Lucky for her, she didn't drink at all last night. Zhang Fei had it the worst, but that could be predicted. Zhang Bao and Shan had only a few drinks, so they weren't bad off. In fact no one was really too bad except for Zhang Fei. This was still a stupid idea though. Zhuge Liang must have planned this ahead of time.

Just then, Zhuge Liang and Liu Bei walked in through the side door.

x

They had about two weeks to prepare for their travel to Hanzhong. When those two weeks came to a close, it was announced by Lord Liu Bei himself.

"Prepare to move out. We leave for Hanzhong at midday."

Of course, those orders weren't easily carried out. Cai ran back to her room, like the other generals and began to pack as quickly as she could. This time, she packed extremely light and managed to fit everything she needed in a sack. Everything she had was made up of a change of cloths, a night gown, a pair of shoes, her shield and fork and her armor, which she was wearing. The only other thing she would need was her horse. She threw the sack over her shoulder and went down to the stables. She saddled Beauty and tied her sack behind the seat. Then she strapped her shield on and tied her fork across her back, since that was the only way she could carry it on her.

Then she led the mare out into the courtyard to find that the foot soldiers were ready, but most of the generals weren't. So she had prepared fast compared to them, but Zhao Yun was always the first one ready. Before she went over to him to find out if they had enough horses, she was stopped by the sight of Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang talking with Guan Yu, Ping and Xing.

"So you say that you will continue on and Yi that is the place where brother can stand and grow." Guan Yu said to Zhuge Liang.

The strategist nodded. The god of war turned and climbed up on Red Hare's back. He turned the stallion toward the gate and called;

"Come Ping! You will come with me."

"Guan Yu!" Liu Bei called after him.

Guan Ping and Xing both mounted up on their horses and caught up to where their father waited for them.

"I know you must go west. Good luck on your journey. My son and I shall stay. We will make it our duty to guard Jing for you." Guan Yu stated.

Guan Ping nodded.

"I see for Wei and Wu want to own it. It's right on Yi's door step." Ping figured and then he turned to face Liu Bei. "My lord, I wish you success in capturing Yi. May we have the privilege of guarding your back?"

"Brother, you have just made your way back to us." Liu Bei argued.

It was true, Guan Yu had been at Cao Cao's side for a time. Only to pay back a debt and he hadn't fought against Shu. He had fought against Yuan Shao. That way, Shu wouldn't have had to fight against him later.

"Come now, it is not as if this is the last day we will meet." Guan Yu reassured.

Then, all three Guans rode toward the gate, but they had to ride past where she was sitting on Beauty. Guan Ping gave her an apologetic look, but didn't stop. She turned in the saddle to watch him ride out. The three horses galloped though town, to the woods in the east and out of sight.

"It's very brave of them to guard our backs." Zhao Yun stated, almost making her jump. "Both Wei and Wu have their eyes on Fan Castle, but if anyone can hold them off, it's the Guan family."

She nodded. She turned toward Zhuge Liang and shot him an angry look, which he saw, but pretended not to. So she turned back toward the east and stared into the trees. Ma Chao came over to them, leading his tall white stallion. He started discussing with Zhao Yun about the horses again, but she didn't really pay attention. Her eyes were fixed on the spot where she last saw Guan Ping.

Something, she wasn't sure what, made her feel uneasy and anxious at the same time. She wanted to get moving, but not toward Yi, she wanted to go back to Jing.

"Hey Cai!"

The sudden calling of her name made her jump as she was snapped out of her thoughts. She turned and saw that it was Zhang Bao.

"What?" She asked.

"We've been reassigned together. We're supposed to go as far as Mai Castle and protect it."

She smiled. Mai castle was right between Fan castle and Luo castle, and it was in the opposite direction from Hanzhong. It was closer to Ping.

* * *

To kill Guan Ping, or not to kill Guan Ping? That is the question. Honestly, I don't know which way to go yet.


	16. Letters

16. Letters

They rode well into the night, but they couldn't catch up with the Guans and eventually stopped to at Baidi castle, the castle between Luo and Mai castle. Then they moved out again at first light. With a mere three hours of sleep, Zhang Xing Cai was exhausted, but had to keep riding the same. By midmorning, Beauty was moving stiff and slowed her pace. So Cai got off the mare's back and walked for a few miles. How were they supposed to get to Mai castle if they were so tired? They had covered a lot of ground couldn't they stop and rest for a while? She asked Bao if they could at least take a break.

"I guess so." He responded.

Zhang Shao was also relieved. Both of them pulled the saddles off their horses and collapsed on the nearest patch of soft grass that they could find. Her head was spinning, so it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

When they got going again, the trail was rough. The rocky mountainous country slowed their travel to a crawl. There were only fifty of them, counting the elite cavalry that had been assigned to them, but they could barely manage. She couldn't imagine trying to lead a whole army through here. There were many rivers to cross and many drop offs to ride around. It would take years to build the bridges necessary for an army to come through. This made Luo and Baidi castle a whole lot safer though. This country would let them know many months in advance if they were going to be attacked. It also made Bai and Fan castle vulnerable since it would take so long for any reinforcements to get there.

After a few days of intense travel, they made it to Mai castle. She was increasingly grateful that she had decided to pack light for the journey since she couldn't imagine how much longer it would have taken them if they had to have brought a wagon.

Her new chambers weren't too impressive compared to the one in Luo castle. All it consisted of was a simple bed, a desk and a trunk, but that's all she needed really. So she settled Beauty in her stall then settled herself into her chambers. It way be early evening, but that didn't matter. She slept as if it were the middle of the night.

x

By now the raining season was in full swing, so it only made sense that the next morning was cloudy and wet. A fog also hung over the land surrounding Mai castle. After Xing Cai got cleaned up and dressed, she sent a letter to Fan castle telling Ping about her reassignment. Fan castle was about a days ride away, so he should get it tomorrow morning, that it, if the postal ride was slow.

The first day they spent at Mai castle was basically spent evaluating the condition in which it was in. She and her brothers went around and found that the castle was in pretty rough shape. Thanks to the last rainy season, most of the cobblestone that made up the pathways was covered in sand. The wood that made up the docks next to the river was rotting, just her luck, and the mass of the tents the soldiers had put up were so disorganized that she couldn't walk in a straight line for more than a few paces.

The first thing they did was have the soldiers take down their tents and organize them into straight rows according to position. The cavalry had their tents closest to the stable. The archers were closest to the stairs that lead up to the walls. The heavy infantry was in the middle and the light infantry was next to the castle gates. That alone took a few days.

They decided to leave the sand alone. It would make for a softer ground for the soldiers to sleep on than cobblestone and that meant better sleeping which led to better morale. To keep the men busy, Shao had the men cut wood to rebuild the docks. Bao headed the actual build while Cai kept the morale up by handing out drinks.

After three days, she got a letter from Guan Ping. It read;

_My dearest Xing Cai,_

_How are things at Mai castle? I hope they're better than here at Fan castle. The rain is making everything cold and damp. A funnel started sending all the rain waters to us so we had to build a flood gate. _

_I miss you, and I wish I could be with you. I promise that next time, I will announce our engagement._

_Love always,_

_Guan Ping_

Xing Cai normally didn't act like one of those cheesy girls that giggled and got all teary eyed when something happened, but this letter made her smile like one of those girls. She got out a parchment and wrote;

_Guan Ping,_

_Things at Mai castle aren't much better. The castle had been flooded and sand is covering all the cobblestone streets. It makes for softer bedding for the soldiers in the courtyard, but it also makes really thick mud at times. So uniforms and clothing are rarely seem clean and are always wet and muddy and everything is cold. My only relief is the warm fire that the soldiers will often build in the middle of the courtyard at sundown. That's when everyone gathers and everyone tries to dry themselves and their clothes. _

_Anyway, I miss you too and I hope that we won't have to stay here for too long._

_Yours truly,_

_Zhang Xing Cai_

Her letter may be longer, but it wasn't nearly as emotional. Oh well, she never had been that open to showing affection. Everyone knew that. So she sealed it and took it to the postal rider, who was waiting for anything else to be taken to Fan castle. That's when a rider from Luo castle came to her.

"I have a package for the Zhang kids from Master Zhang Fei."

She thanked the rider and took the pouch from him. Inside were three separate letters each had a different name on it. She took the one with hers and opened it.

_Daughter,_

_I hope things are going good. Your absence here is felt by everyone. Although they don't say anything, Liu Shan, Zhao Yun and Ma Chao all miss you. Me especially. _

_Listen, I never really apologized for my behavior back home. I shouldn't have shouted and I'm sorry. I'm just trying to protect you is all and I want you to be happy. _

_Write back to me when you get this okay?_

_Zhang Fei_

This letter made her happy smile into a humorous and yet, relieved, grin. She was glad for his apology. Even though it was poorly written and he didn't say it in person, but at least he tried. The fact that he wrote 'listen' on a letter made her laugh. Well, now she knew where she got her own poor use of words from. Only, she wasn't as bad.

She took the other two letters and carried them to where Bao and Shao were taking a rest from working on the docks.

"Here, father sent us each a letter."

She handed Bao's to him and gave Shao's his. They both opened them and read them. When they were done, they both looked up with silly grins on their faces.

"Father never was much good at this." Shao announced.

"Nope." Bao agreed.

"What do they say?" Cai asked.

"Father just said that mother and Xiao left home and are traveling to Luo castle. With Wu approaching Zhouzhou, they didn't feel that it was safe to stay any longer." Shao told them.

"Mine says that Hanzhong isn't going to fall nearly as fast as they had hoped. Cao Cao himself is defending it. Right now they're engaging Wei at the Han river. Liu Bei decided to try Liu Shan's strategy and sent Zhao Yun and Huang Zhong to burn Wei's supplies." Bao told them.

She nodded.

x

Now she had been in Mai castle for two weeks. Today marked it, but she couldn't go outside. She couldn't face everyone out there. So she sat on her bed with her hands on her lap. Her back was aching. She also had a dull headache. Even after sleeping in, she was tired. Her breath was made to toxin by the events a few hours ago. She had clean the mess, and the smell was gone, but there was no shaking off what this meant. A few months ago, she had been dreading this very idea, and now it was reality.

Guan Ping had again asked her if that was what she wanted, and once again she had said 'yes'. The first time, she was just caught up in the moment. The second time, she knew what it meant and she wanted it for more than just the feeling. In a way, she wanted to seal her future with him. He wasn't as sure about it. So she told him she wouldn't regret it. Even now, knowing what was coming in a few more months, she didn't regret it, but her life just became a whole lot more complicated.

After working up some courage, she took a brief drink of wine to cover her horrible breath and went out. First thing she did was write a letter to Guan Ping.

_My Dear Guan Ping,_

_I need to talk to you, soon. I can't leave Mai castle because my brothers wouldn't let me go alone. Can you try and come as soon as you can? Please._

_Until I see you,_

_Zhang Xing Cai_

x

The next day was strangely cold. Everyone's breath formed into a cloud in front of their faces. It made for a bad mood, but she got another letter from Guan Ping so that made for her mood being better than most.

The new letter read;

_Xing Cai,_

_Both Wei and Wu have come to attack. It is overwhelming to see both armies before us, but it is nothing the god of war can't handle. _

_I am sorry that this letter has to be so short, but I had to write fast so that the postal rider could get it to you and away from here before the armies arrive. I'm also sorry that I can't visit, but I can't leave Fan castle. Whatever it is, you can tell me in you next letter right? Don't worry about me. Defeat is unacceptable for the son of the God of War! _

_I love you so much and I can't wait to see you again._

_Yours forever,_

_Guan Ping_

Both Wei and Wu were attacking? Cowards! Could the mighty warlord Sun Quan of Jiangdong not take one castle with out help from Cao Cao? He had generals like Lu Meng, Zhou Tai, Tiashi Ci, Gan Ning and Ling Tong. Did he really need that much help? If he did, then maybe it did mean that he wasn't all he was thought to be, but either way, how could Guan Yu hope to hold off all of Wu and some of Cao Cao's generals at the same time?

She stuffed the letter in her belt and ran out to the docks in search of her brothers. Instead of finding the soldiers carrying wood, she found them carrying spears. Then she spotted her brothers rushing toward the castle.

"Bao, wait!" She shouted as she started running toward him. "What's going on?"

"Wei and Wu have taken Fan castle! Guan Yu and Ping are on their way here. Xing's already dead. The scouts say that Wu's coming from the river and Wei coming from Fan castle. They'll both be here by mid afternoon!"

He rushed away. She was left frozen on the spot. Fan castle was taken, then how old was this letter? Wei and Wu would both be here by mid afternoon, that was only a few hours from now!

Cai turned and dashed back to the castle. She scrambled to get her armor on and tied her shield to her arm. Then she grabbed her battle fork and ran back outside. It was strangely warm out, not that she actually took the time to notice. It could have been pouring rain for all she cared.

She met up with the groups of generals and commanders in the courtyard.

"You," She pointed to the commander of the archers. "get your archers on the walls now!"

Then she turned to the commander of the light infantry.

"Get your men to the bases surrounding the castle and tell them to prepare to defend!"

Then she turned to Zhang Shao.

"Shao, you're the fastest rider here. Go to Luo castle and send for reinforcements."

"No, I'll send a scout."

"Shao!" She shouted.

"I won't abandon you!" He argued.

"You won't be abandoning us, you'll be helping us by getting the reinforcements. Now go, quickly!"

Shao turned to Bao for help, but got the opposite of what he wanted.

"Yes, Shao you know the way back. With your good sense of direction and good horsemanship, no one could get to Chengdu as fast as you could."

Shao's expression turned intense. His brow creased and his face seemed to age a few years. Unexpectedly, he grabbed her in a tight hug. Then he stepped away and did the same to Bao.

"I don't have to tell you that there's no way I could return here within the next few days. It will take at least a week. Until then, stay alive, both of you. Liu Shan is still in Luo castle. We'll bring as many men as we can."

With that, Shao turned and left, heading toward the stable.

She and Bao turned back to the commanders and continued giving them orders to prepare for battle. She had wanted to see Guan Ping soon, but not under these circumstances.

* * *

Oh boy, what's Cai going to do now? Honestly, I have no idea. I still haven't decided whether or not to kill Guan Ping. I might just throw the history book out on this one since I love happy endings, but...

Anyway, I was able to update today because I only had one class! I also wanted to make up for the wait for chaper 15.

Please keep the reviews coming!


	17. The Battle of Mai Castle

17. The Battle of Mai Castle

Zhang Xing Cai watched from the archer's wall as the two Guans and their surviving soldiers rode their galloping horses toward Mai castle. Every color of uniform could been seen, the blue of Wei's army now coming from the northern horizon, the green of the rapidly approaching Shu riders and the red of the Wu soldiers in the fleet about to make port on their docks. Guan Ping and the others galloped past the boats, whose archers released a volley of death in the form of arrows.

"OPEN THE GATE!"

She pushed away from the wall to gain an extra burst of momentum to propel her down the stairs, her feet barely managed to keep up her. She skidded to a stop just before she collided paths with the galloping horses. She spotted Ping among them. His arms were cut. His armor was scrapped and he had a particularly bad gash on his shoulder.

"Guan Ping!" She shouted.

"GET THE GATES CLOSED!"

Ping looked around in confusion, but then he spotted her and steered Star toward her.

"Xing Cai!"

Star stopped in front of her. She grabbed the mare's reins to hold her still as Ping almost feel out of the saddle, but caught himself. Cai let the mare go and steadied him with her hands on his chest and good shoulder. He breathed hard against the obvious pain he was in.

"Were would these paths we're following lead us?"

She stared at him blankly for a moment.

"You must not say things such as that." She told him.

He nodded, slightly.

"Are you alright to fight?"

He nodded again, this time, a little more sure of himself. So she stepped back and watched as he stood up straight.

"Well, you said you needed to see me, what's so important?"

She rolled her eyes. Men, clueless.

"Only that..."

Before she could finish, there was a loud crash. Both of them were thrown off their feet. The castle gates exploded open under the force of the Wu siege.

"Xing Cai, are you okay!"

"Yeah, yeah I'm okay! Come on!"

She leaped to her feet and pulled him up. He leaned on her for support.

"Come on!" She repeated.

The Shu soldiers dashed past them and charged to meet Wu. She and Ping scrambled to the back.

"Where are you going!"

"We have to get you to the doctor!"

She took him down the halls and stopped at the doctor's door. Without knocking, she burst it open and went through the door way. The doctor jumped, and then hurried over toward them when he saw Ping.

"Make sure he's okay. I have to go and help."

"No, Cai!"

Without giving him the chance to argue, she turned and ran.

Once back outside, she went up to the archer wall and picked up her fork and shield. She went down the steps and started her own attack. Crimson stained over the red. Her blunt force was unmatched. She worked hard to clear the crowds.

"CLOSE THE GATE!" Bao's voice shouted.

She spun to see that the Wu soldiers were preventing the gates from being closed. That way, wave after wave of red uniformed soldiers charged in without even being slowed down. She had to clear the area in front of the gates or they would never be closed. She charged weapon first toward the gates. Like Zhao Yun, she fought furiously and yet, swiftly. She slashed her fork across the necks of three Wu soldiers who collapsed instantly. Then she spun around and slammed her shield into the face of another. She jabbed a few different soldiers in the chest before spinning around in a complete circle and sending half a dozen men on their backs with gashes on their chests.

The gates began to close. If she was on the wrong side of them when they did, she would be killed or worse. Who knew what the bastards from Wu would do to a woman hostage? So just before the gates seal closed, she jumped through them, back into the castle and landed on her shoulder. The charge was over, but the skirmish wasn't over. There were still a considerable number of Wu soldiers inside the castle, dead men walking. "I'd either call you the bravest person I've ever seen, or the dumbest."

She was pulled up by Zhang Bao. He had a strange expression on his face, one she couldn't really read.

"But now Wu will have to scale the wall to get in." She replied.

Some of the Shu soldiers began bringing the wood they were going to use to rebuild the docks to reinforce the gates. So she and her brother backed up to get out of the way.

"And it will take them a while to bring any ladders, or a full day if they have to make some." Bao added. "Either way, this will give us time to deal with the wounded and...

Wounded? Guan Ping!

She turned and ran back into the castle. Her footsteps would have echoed in the halls if it weren't for the moans and cries of the injured soldiers. She ran through the doctor's door and almost ran into someone.

"Watch it!" One of the commanders shouted at her.

She ignored him and continued at a slower pace. It was barely a few hours into the battle and the floor was already covered in pools of blood and entrails. The smell wasn't human, but in a way, in a really sick and disturbing way, it was as human as humans got.

She spotted Ping sitting on one of the patient beds with a fresh bandage on his shoulder. The doctor had given him some kind of liquid to rub into the cuts on his arms himself. That made sense since he wouldn't have time to do it himself with all these people here now.

She went over to where Ping was.

"You alright?"

He flinched when he applied the liquid to the latest cut.

"Fine, just got cut up by Lu Xun is all, but I left him with more injuries than he gave me."

"Who's Lu Xun?"

"Lu Meng's apprentice." Ping explained.

Then she remembered, he had been at Chengdu for some peace negotiations that she at for a while, but had been slightly distracted by Cao Pi's gaze. He had shown no signs of even having a temper. It was hard for her to imagine him being a part of any battle. He just didn't seem like the fighting type in her opinion.

Just then a messenger came running.

"Master Guan Ping and Lady Zhang, thank the heavens I've found you. Mai castle has been surrounded by Wu on three sides and Wei's begun attacking the northern wall."

"Then there's no time to waste." Ping summarized.

He got to his feet without much of a struggle. So he must be feeling better. Just as they walked out, Hua Tuo rushed past them carrying his large black case of supplies. They weaved their way through the hall and went back outside. She looked around and saw nothing but blood. It covered everything. They went up the nearest set of stairs and looked over the wall. Indeed, they were completely surrounded. Their viewing was cut short by a few soldiers that started throwing spears at them.

"There's my father!"

They left the wall. She followed Guan Ping down the stairs. They worked their way through the crowd that had gathered around him. He was giving order after order. His experience was clearly displayed for all of them to see.

"Summon up your inner strength for we will need it to defend this area. We are to wait here until reinforcements arrive. Shore up the defenses where needed. Tell everyone to stay away from the walls! Build up the strength of the gates. Everyone, our defense must be as an iron wall until an opportunity to strike back presents itself."

What Guan Yu didn't mention, was that that time to strike back wouldn't be for at least a week.

"Your prowess is without equal, Father! One day I shall be as a great a warrior as you!" Guan Ping spoke out.

Guan Yu turned to face them as the crowd dispersed.

"Guan Ping!"

"Are you alright my son?"

"I'm fine." Guan Ping assured.

Did these two not understand the trouble they were in! They were surrounded by two massive sized armies in a small castle that had no defense capabilities to speak of and any reinforcements were a week away! The supplies they did have were barely enough to last them a few days. With all the dead bodies, plague was imminent. So they would have to burn them and smell that smell, that stench that was sent straight from hell or risk dying themselves. If that wasn't enough, the rain started again! They might be flooded out of the castle altogether if it kept up at this rate for too long.

x

The next few hours were spent gathering the weapons, bodies, striping them of their armor and sorting all three into piles. First, they had gathered all the unbroken arrows they could find and gave them to the archers. They stored the armor in the castle in one of the spare rooms. The weapons were put in another, while the bodies were set in the center of the courtyard to be burned once the rain stopped. Cai however, helped with setting out bowls to catch the rain water. That was the one thing they weren't running short on, but they did have plenty of gallons of blood. Food was going to be hard to find from now on, unless they went barbaric and ate the one meat they had, human.

Everyone was becoming desperate for help by the next day. It had taken all hours of the night for Guan Yu and Guan Ping to realize what kind of situation they were in. At the moment, all the generals and commanders were at a meeting in the castle.

"What's the count?" Guan Yu asked.

"Some have said four hundred, others say six hundred." One of the commanders answered.

"How's the food supply?" She asked.

"We have water."

"And how many days until reinforcements arrive?" Guan Ping asked.

"Six days at best."

There was a long silence. The gravity of their situation hung in the air above them. The only question left for them to ask themselves was; 'how do I want to die?'

"We shall never give in. If we are to die then let it be with honor!" Guan Yu told them all.

That wasn't exactly the words of encouragement she wanted to hear, but he kept going.

"Charge the enemy! Follow me as I cut a path through the enemy ranks!"

"Are you insane!" She demanded.

"We cannot allow them to push us back! There's no where else to go. Victory is still far off!" Ping added.

This was the first time he ever went against something his father said.

"Prepare for a final charge." Was all Guan Yu said before turning and leaving.

x

The charge was going to happen two hours from now. Cai had no choice but to take part in it. So she went down to the stables to get Beauty ready, but before she got there, a messenger came running to her.

"Lady Zhang!"

She turned to face the messenger. Like everything and everyone else, the weight of the battle took it's toll on the messenger too in the form of a black eye and a severely severed hand.

"What is it?"

"Zhang Bao is with the doctor. Hua Tuo has summoned you for his final minutes."

Bao was dying! He couldn't be dying. He was too young. He had his entire life ahead of him still! This had to be some kind of mistake, but it wasn't. When she got to the doctor's wing, she found him sprawled on one of the beds. There were cloths soaked in blood next to him. The sight distracted her so much that she hardly noticed that Hua Tao came next to her.

"He was run through by a halberd. It hit in all the wrong places. I can't stop the bleeding."

She stared at the doctor for a moment. Then she turned back to where Bao bleeding out. Tears swelled in her eyes, but the image on her brother rasping for breath wasn't affected. She could still see him perfectly. She knew it would be something she would never forget as long as she lived.

She slowly moved next to Bao.

"Cai?"

His voice was weak and raspy. He raised his hand blindly, she grabbed it and held it gently in her own.

"Yes, I'm here." She managed to reply as she began choking on her sorrow.

He looked around for her, but couldn't find her even through she was standing over him. So he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the bed.

"Good, I... I want you to get out of here... alive. Tell mum... dad... and the others that I love them."

"I will. I love you so much, Bao." She confessed.

"Even after... Chengdu?"

She smiled sadly.

"Even after Chengdu." She assured.

"Good,... because I love you too, Cai..."

Then, there was nothing.

"Bao?"

He didn't respond. The muscles in his hand she was holding went limp.

"Bao!"

Only stillness. Hua Tuo came and closed Bao's eyelids.

"BAO! No, please... PLEASE!"

But he still didn't respond. So she let her emotions flow out since she couldn't bottle them up any longer. She cried into his chest and whispered;

"You're not worthless."

* * *

*sniff, sniff

This is so sad, but Zhang Bao did die young so... I guess this is as good of a way for him to die as any. I'm still heartbroken though.

As far as killing Guan Ping goes, I don't think that I'll be able to do it. He's such a cute guy and a fun character.


	18. A Promise is Made

18. A Promise is Made

Xing Cai gathered her composure and stood up straight. Rage flooded through her veins. She breathed deeply. Her chest heaved up and down as she had to breath through her nose because her jaw was clamped too tightly shut. She had her hands in fists and held them so tight that her knuckles turned white. Her nails dug deep into her palms, making her arms shake slightly.

She spun around and left the doctor's wing, marching right past everyone who gave her sympathetic looks. She ignored all the pouted faces and sad expressions directed toward her. She didn't need them, nor did she need them. So she ignored them all together, but she could still feel everyone watching her leave. It only made her that much angrier.

This was all Wu's fault. They killed Bao. Now, they would die too. They would all die. She didn't need to know which one of them ran Bao through, she would have her vengeance one way or another. She would kill them all of she had to. She would cripple Wu and make it so that they could never ride into battle again.

All this time, she had thought that Wei was her arch enemy because of her ties to Cao Cao through Xiahou Yuan, but it was actually Wu.

Once in the courtyard, she found that one of the stable hands brought Beauty out. Another had brought her battle fork. Without thanking either one of them, she took the fork, then the reins and swung up into the saddle. Holding her fork in a absolute death grip, she rode over to where the other generals were preparing for the final charge.

"I heard about Bao, I'm sorry." Guan Ping told her. "I lost my brother too. Xing was shot down by the archers. He had broken rank and gone out by himself. That's when they broke the floodgate. So if the archers wouldn't have shot him, he would have just drowned anyway."

She didn't respond. She kept her eyes fixed on the gates ahead that were being cleared of any and all debris that was used to keep it closed.

When everything was cleared, Guan Yu rode to the front, atop of Red Hare, the famed warhorse of Lu Bu. That horse had seen more war and battles than any of them. This would be the horse's final charge, again. His other final charge was at Xiapi with Lu Bu. She wondered if this would be the horse's last final charge or if he would live to have another final charge.

"Let's go! We must be the tip of the spear that pierces the enemy's lines!" Guan Yu shouted.

The gates were swung open. It was as if the world had slowed down in that moment. The horses around her leaped forward. Their heavy breathing made clouds of hot breath all around them among the freezing air. The entire charge moved together like a rockslide.

Beauty reared up and launched them both forward. Cai almost lost her seat, but the two of them, the horse and the rider, were like one. She rocked in her seat in perfect sync with her horses strides.

The water and mud splashed up all around her. Her heart pounded in her ears. Her lungs where shocked by the cold air. Her hands were steady as they held the reins and her battle fork. She had abandoned her shield. She had no use for defense now. Now she was on the attack, like all of Shu was on the attack.

The soldiers who didn't have horses, sprinted behind them spear and sword first.

The archers on the wall began to 'fire at will!' as they were told. Their arrows soared through the air and sank into the red uniforms or whatever else they came to, be it already dead or still alive. The horses' hooves pounded the each. The water splashed from everywhere, but none of this could be heard above a loud cry that erupted from them all like a chorus.

"FOR SHU AND FOR LORD LIU BEI!"

All the Wu soldiers on the other side of the charge began to scramble. Some of them dropped their weapons and ran, while others raised theirs, ready to fight back. They clearly weren't told to expect this.

The horses began to whinny as they ran down the Wu soldiers like piles of dry leaves. Swords and spears rang out with metallic rings as they brought death down upon their enemies and their blood up into the air. Violent slashing sounds and the cries of death could also be heard from all over.

Arrows from desperate Wu archers shot toward them. A few pierced through the green armor, most continued past to go into the red armor on the other side of Shu's charge.

Death was everywhere, in the forms of arrows, spears, sword and her own battle fork. It didn't matter now. If she was going to die today, then she was going to take as many of these Wu scum with her as she possibly could. They deserved to die. They killed Bao and Xing. Not to mention the others before them. Had it not been Sun Shang Xiang to kidnap Liu Shan when he was a baby and tried to take him to Jiangdong? Which was why Zhao Yun almost died to get him back at the battle of Changban? Her own father had to risk his neck to make sure Zhao Yun made it back across the bridge because of what Lady Sun did.

At least Zhang Shao wasn't here. She was glad that she spent him away. He wouldn't have to see this, but Wu killed Bao and Xing. They almost killed Shan, Zhao Yun and her father. Now, they would pay for it with their lives.

She was the bringer of death. She knew that she wasn't thinking straight because of how high her blood was flowing, but she didn't care. The very thought that she was being irrational right now only made her more angry. So what? So what if she wasn't thinking clearly? It didn't really matter now. Today was the day when death came for them all. She would rather meet it fighting for Shu, her lord and the future of the land than not. This way, her death would mean something.

This was a massacre, a blood bath. If she weren't in absolute rage, she would be terrified by what was happening around her. Blood spilled everywhere, still warm. A disgusting mixture of mud, blood and rainwater covered everything. It was as if it was raining blood on them. Insides and limbs with the veins and arteries sticking out of them were scattered about. Dismembered heads rolled at the horse's feet. Arrows scattered about all around them, piercing into whatever crossed their paths even if it was already dead. Screams and orders rang out but it was possible to tell them apart. Often, they were blended. An officer would start ordering something, only to cut off or cut apart.

Cai swung her fork at some soldiers approaching her from the left side. The she swung it back to the right. She jabbed another soldier and spun Beauty around so she could knock down a few more.

A soldier ran over to her while he back was turned and knocked her out of the saddle. She landed on her back and raised her fork so that the solder ran into it as he came toward her to finish her off. His blood poured down at her feet. She heaved her fork to the side so that he fell off it and collapsed to the pool of blood an water.

"Skewered" She shouted as she got to her feet.

Skewered, like a pig, like a stuffed pig over the fire. Like the pig every coward from Wu was.

The battle continued. She didn't know how long it had been going. It seemed like days, but it was only hours. She knew that because the sun was beginning to set. They had been fighting for the better part of six hours and yet, their charge didn't even make it half way through the ranks. Just when there was a pause in the fighting, a fresh wave of enemies came. She turned to Ping to see what he would do. He was staring at the coming enemies.

"More of them?" He asked before recovering. "No retreat,"

The Shu soldiers raised the spears slightly in agreement.

"and no surrender!"

All the green uniforms shouted loudly.

"We must fight on!"

All the generals, including Cai, gave a shout of their own. They all turned and met the charge. They continued to first, faster and harder than before with the fierceness of the tigers that the Wu soldiers fancied themselves being.

"No retreat!" Ping shouted.

A roar from the Shu armor sounded in agreement.

"No surrender!"

Another roar.

"No mercy!" Guan Yu added.

A louder roar came.

"For the future!" She shouted

The roar that came was long enough to be heard for miles. Even the tigers of Wu couldn't top it. Morale was high. Death didn't loom over them like a treat anymore. They all knew it was coming, but none of them cared anymore, because their sense of duty was great than their sense of fear.

She slashed her fork left and right, left and right with all the might she could muster. Then she lunged forward to run a lieutenant through. She raised her fork to block a sword, and then kicked the offending soldier away from her. With a power spin, she slashed the fork across his chest. She turned just in time to bring death down on a rapidly approaching captain. Then she kneeled down and swung her fork through a soldier's legs. The leg continued to move forward, but the rest of the Wu soldier fell to the ground. So she stood up and sent her fork through the base of his neck.

The Wu soldiers began to surround them. The ones that made it around them stormed into the castle. They had been outflanked! The Wu cowards were going take the castle from behind them. They wouldn't have anywhere to go!

"Back to the castle! We must not let them take it!" Guan Yu shouted out.

Everyone turned back toward the gates and followed their own trail of corpses. Cai spun around and jumped over the bodies that had been left in her wake as she ran. Her feet avoided the bodies altogether, but they couldn't avoid the blood puddles. The crimson would splash up and stain her legs, which up till now had been the only part of her that hadn't been lined with blood.

While the Shu soldier's backs were turned, the Wu archers released a volley. She heard Ping's voice scream out. She spun around and saw him standing a short ways off with three arrows in his back. One was nearly at the base of his neck. Another was in his left rib and the third one was just below the second, close to his spine.

"Guan Ping!"

She ran over to him and just managed to catch him as he fell on his shoulder.

"Xing Cai, you must get back to the castle."

"Not without you!"

She dropped her battle fork so she could grab his arm. She swung it over her shoulder. Then she pulled him up to his feet. He cried out in pain, but she didn't stop, she couldn't. She pulled him back into the castle. Just as they got through the gates, he collapsed.

"Hold on, Guan Ping. I'll get you to Hua Tuo. He'll heal you, you'll be alright."

"No." He whispered just before he began to cough blood. "I'm finished Cai. Back at Fan castle... I had been hit in the shoulder by an arrow. Hua Tuo told me that I had a few hours before it would kill me... I've been dying for the past day and a half. When you took me to see him, he said he was impressed that I lasted so long, but now... Now I'm lung shot."

"No Ping! You're not going to die! Don't say things such as..."

Her tears stopped her from finishing.

"Xing Cai, I can no longer protect you. For... Forgive me." He rasped.

She grabbed his hand in hers.

"No Ping, you can't die. You know why?"

She pressed his palm to her belly. She wanted him to feel the bump that had already begun to form.

"You're going to be a father now." She choked out.

He stared up at her for a moment that seemed to last forever. Forever ended too soon.

"No Cai, some... other man... is going to be."

"Ping, I can't..."

"You ha... have to go on... without me." He interrupted. "Just... just make sure that he... deserves you. Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."

"I promise."

He smiled slightly. Then his eyes closed and his hand fell from her grasp.

* * *

I was crying while I wrote this chapter. I'M SORRY, XING CAI! I know that a lot of you didn't want me to kill Ping, but in actual history, he was like… maybe ten years older than Xing Cai. So if I'm going to stay accurate to history at all, they couldn't be together. *sigh*

They story's not over yet.


	19. The Star Fades

19. The Star Fades

The entire world had stopped. At least, her world did. Ping was dead. She had lost her elder brother, future brother-in-law, fiancé and the father of her unborn child all in one day.

What else could possibly go wrong? She challenged the fates to just try and make things worse for her. They had already outdone themselves today, what more could they possible do? She had received the blunt of their cruelty. Why her? What had she done that had been so horrible to deserve this?

She picked up his hand so that it could stroke her face one last time. So that she would forever remember how it felt on her if she somehow survived this.

Guan Yu came up behind her. He clearly hadn't seen what just happened.

"Well done, Ping! My son has become a brilliant sol..."

The war god was stopped dead in mid sentence when he finally realized than he was only talking to another dead body.

"Your son... is dead." She reported without any emotion to be heard on her voice.

She laid his hand down, gently. Then she stood up and turned to face the man who would have been her father-in-law, had Guan Ping lived long enough for that to happen.

"He..."

But she was stopped in mid sentence by a fierce pain that shot from her stomach. She looked down and saw an arrow that came from no where and lodged its way deeply into her gut. She put her hand over it to find out of it was real, or if her emotions were getting the better of her imagination. She felt the shaft of the arrow next to her cold armor and the warmth of the blood that began to cover her fingers. It was real.

"Xing Cai!" The war god shouted as he began running toward her.

If she wasn't going to die within the next few seconds, she knew she would whenever she pulled the arrow out. It was probably the only thing keeping her from bleeding out completely. Nothing could stop her death if she removed it.

Her vision faded, but she could still see that another volley of arrows came. Two of them hit Guan Yu in the arm and shoulder. He was thrown back, but he still stood, which was more than could be said for her. Cai dropped to her knees. Then she began to fall sideways. She landed on her shoulder and rolled onto her back with her hand still around the arrow. Her skin was pierced by the cold icy water, mud and blood mixture she was lying in. She was left looking up at the sky. The sun was gone. So was its warmth. The moon was crescent shaped, but there were no stars in the sky.

Zhang Xing Cai, whose name meant 'star' and 'glory', let her head move sideways. There was no glory anymore, nor was there any more stars. They had all faded.

Guan Xing was dead. Who knew what happened to Ping's mare? She was the last one left and she too, was about to fade away.

With her head now to the side, she could watch helplessly as Guan Yu was surrounded by figures in red clothing.

She wanted to look away, but didn't. Her eyes stayed transfixed on Guan Yu's, who was unknowingly a grandfather now.

The war god began to fight against the soldiers, but they soon had him subdued. More and more Wu soldiers gathered. They had the decency not to step on her. This made her wonder what would become of her body after she died. It will probably be burned like the others to prevent plague, as well as Guan Ping's. The thought upset her so she stopped thinking about it.

Now, there were a few high ranking men of Wu gathered around Guan Yu. She could tell they were of importance because they were dressed in red, but not in the usual Wu uniform. The officers stood only a few paces from her, but they didn't notice her. They were much too preoccupied with their latest capture to see the dying woman at their feet.

"Guan Yu, an excellent fight, but it ends now!"

That voice must belong to Lu Meng, the strategist of Wu.

"This officer bows before the might of the Sun family! Guan Yu, the god of war, right hand of Shu and the only threat to Wu, kneeling at my feet."

Xing Cai blinked to force her eyes to focus. She had to know if she recognized that voice correctly, or not. When her eyes did open and focus, slightly, she saw Sun Quan, the emperor of Wu. She my have been in the presence of Liu Bei, also an emperor, many times, but it wasn't often that a warrior was in the presence of the emperor of their rival kingdom and lived to tell about it, not that she was too concerned about survival now. She only hoped that her end wouldn't be too painful.

"So my struggle against the chaos is to end in failure..." Guan Yu stated.

Sun Quan took his sword and slid it across Guan Yu's neck. He fell to the side and landed on his shoulder, facing her. Their eyes remained locked as his blood pooled around him. She wasn't sure when it was exactly that he stopped seeing her.

Now she could add her future father-in-law and commander to the list of people that were close to her who had died today. Now, she had lost everything.

The people from Wu began discussing something.

"Now that we have captured Jing, all that is left is to capture Ye. Then Shu will be no longer. Only Wei will be left."

The voice sounded much younger than the others. She knew it was the young strategist of Wu, Lu Xun, the one who had been at Chengdu for the peace talks and had fatally injured Guan Ping in Fan castle. Rage flowed through her equal to, if not more than the pain.

"Yes, Lu Xun! I know we can rely on you to carry the future of Wu!" Lu Meng praised.

Future.

The word rang in her head. That one word, no, the idea of that word was why she had been fighting all along, and now, she wouldn't even live to see it. It was like she heard Zhuge Liang once say;

"_Fate can sometimes be cruel. Can it not?"_

It was what he said to Liu Bei when Sun Shang Xiang left him during the battle of Changban. Only, the fates had really outdone themselves this time. This was much worse than a wife's betrayal and in a way, it was also kinder. At least she wouldn't have to live and deal with her losses. That would be worse than anything she could imagine.

Sun Quan, Lu Xun and Lu Meng continued talking. Xing Cai tried to listen in, but the only thing she made of it was;

"Put the head on a pike. Let Shu know that they cannot steal our land and get away with it!"

After that, she simply didn't care about what they said anymore.

Steal? Zhuge Liang did sneak away toward Ye Providence after the battle of Chibi. It led to the fall of Chengdu. That must be what Sun Quan was talking about. The Sun family must be planning a western campaign. Then they would be headed to Baidi castle next. After that, it was Luo castle, Shu's base of operations. The only thing that could slow them down was the rough terrain between here and Baidi.

What did it matter! She wasn't going to live long enough for the battle of Baidi castle. She may as well end it now before she watched anymore death, before she lost even more. It wasn't that she had just given up, she was long past that stage, it was that she was done living. She wanted to die now.

Life had beaten her. She had tried her best to live it out happily and still serve Shu at the same time. Clearly, that balance didn't exist. She had had two choices. One, marry Guan Ping. Two, marry Liu Shan. She and Ping both chose the first one, but they had acted too slowly. If they would have announced their engagement sooner, then maybe they could have stayed in Luo castle until the wedding. Then who knows how that would have changed things?

She was tired. She was tired of reviewing herself and her choices. She was tired of people trying to make them for her. It had been her life. At least she lived it how she wanted to. Now she had to suffer the consequences of the choices she did make. They all had been wrong though. Lying with Ping back at Chengdu and Mt. Dingjun had been wrong. Not announcing their engagement had been wrong. Refusing Liu Shan had been wrong. Even coming here had been wrong. She was sick and tired of being wrong. Most of all, she was tired of living.

She looked around her one last time. Everyone from Wu was gone now. She spotted Guan Yu's body. Then she saw his head on a pike at the gates of the castle. It's long beard that he was famous for swayed in the wind.

She looked away just as the rain began to fall once again with a vengeance for not falling for the last few hours. Only, she couldn't feel it on her body. She was already frozen.

She turned her head around to look at Guan Ping. His face was filled with an expression that was divided between pain and sadness. She closed her eyes and let her face turn back up at the sky. Tears fell down the sides of her cheeks. Of course, she couldn't tell them apart from the icy rain drops falling all over her.

She grabbed the arrow with both of her hands and pulled. It came out, but sent a shockwave of pain through her entire being. She let out a painful cry. If she had been bleeding badly before, it was nothing compared to now. However, she felt better now that the arrow was out. In a strange way, she felt at ease. As if things were better now than they had been a few moments ago. So in her new sense of peace, she let go. Her body went limp and there finally was no more pain.

The final star faded from under the heavens.

* * *

Ugh, so sad! Readers, don't get worried. There will be another update. The story's not over yet…


	20. Reactions

20. Reactions

Two weeks later in Luo Castle…

Liu Bei, the new king of Hanzhong, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Laing, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao and Wei Yan had all returned to Chengdu the previous day. Liu Shan, Zhang Bao and Jiang Wei had been waiting for them at the castle gates.

The battle of Hanzhong had been won easily enough, but they were all tired and irritated by the fact that they had to rush back to Luo Castle upon Zhang Shao's urgent request. Even though they hadn't been told exactly what this was about yet. So Zhuge Liang doubted that it could really be that urgent. It better be, or else they just wasted a few days of travel for nothing and in his health, his didn't have time to waste.

Right now, Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were in the throne room. A lone soldier kneeled before his Lord Liu Bei. He trembled beyond his control, making everyone there nervous at what news was to come. Everyone except for him of course, Zhuge Liang never let anyone know if he was nervous because it would only add to their fear. So he kept his composure calm and gently fanned himself with his mass of green tipped white feathers.

"It was awful, Lord. I saw it all… Commander Guan Yu… He met death, at the hand of Wu." The soldier reported.

Liu Bei rose to his feet with a look of horror on his face.

"Guan Yu!"

Zhang Fei ran over toward the messenger and grabbed his shoulders.

"No! No!"

The general, comparable to the worth of a thousand men in Liu Bei's own words, collapsed to his knees and pounded the floor with his fist as he began to wail.

"Brother! Argh! AAHH!" He cried.

The messenger quickly backed away out of fear that the general would lash out. It was well known that Zhang Fei got violent when drunken or angry.

Zhuge Liang's own reaction was much slower and quieter. This was troublesome indeed. Guan Yu was a good fighter. They could have really used his help in the future.

Liu Bei, in a kind of daze, began to walk down the steps toward the entry way of the hall. His feet moved slower than his voice, thus he didn't travel too far.

"I promised, we swore that we would walk together. I have lost him… He was the closest to me… The one who was most important. What have I been doing and thinking?"

Zhang Fei stood up, spun around, grabbed his sword brother's arms and gave him a violent shake.

"Tell me what you're waiting for! Brother, we must take our revenge!"

The King of Hanzhong nodded in agreement. He turned to his master strategist.

"I must do it!"

Zhuge Liang shook his head calmly since he was the only one in the room to not be overwhelmed by their own emotions. It was a rare thing for Zhuge Liang to succumb to grief. This time, he didn't even feel any. Guan Yu, and every other general of Shu were simply a tool to be used for his strategies. However, without Guan Yu, it would make for harder battles.

"Please wait my lord." He pleaded.

Liu Bei wouldn't hear it. His mind had been made up and there was no changing it. He began marching down the hall.

"Revenge, this is war, summon the generals here at once!" He ordered with a powerful swing of his arm.

x

Once the generals were summoned, Liu Bei told them his plan to avenge his sword brother. Ma Chao was the one to speak out against it when he could no longer keep his silence.

"You mustn't. To wage war out of vengeance isn't right." He forcefully told his clearly angry lord.

"Silence." Liu Bei ordered in a cold and demanding voice that no one had ever heard him use before.

Ma Chao was so surprised by the tone of the voice that that's what had silenced him, not the actual order itself, but Liu Bei didn't need to know that.

"I must avenge the death of my brother!" Liu Bei told them all, as if they didn't understand his reasoning, which most of them didn't.

None of them believed his reasoning was in the right. At least, Ma Chao didn't.

Liu Bei stood from his throne and began to walk to make the preparations.

"Prepare to march. Wu must pay. We march in the name of Guan Yu."

This was madness! How could Liu Bei expect thousands to put their lives on the line for the memory of one man?

"Lord Liu Bei…" Ma Chao called after him, but Zhao Yun grabbed his shoulder.

"Our role is simple, claim victory. That is the honorable thing to do." His friend told him.

Ma Chao was frustrated, but he also acknowledged the fact that the general with valor through and through was right. That was the nickname Zhao Yun earned himself at Hanzhong by saving Huang Zhong.

Ma Chao pulled away from his friend and told him;

"But, that it not what justice is."

x

Ma Chao, who still did not wish to take part in a battle against Wu for the sake of one man's memory, walked along the halls of Luo castle by himself. Zhao Yun, being as noble as he was, reminded Ma Chao of Liu Bei's virtues, like loyalty and friendship. Ma Chao understood Zhao Yun's point, but he didn't fight for virtues, he fought for justice. It would be hard though, for all of them, to fight without Xing Cai there. He couldn't imagine what Shu would be like without her. She had been the one that was kindest to him from the very beginning. She had gone as far as saving his life. Then, even after that debt that he owed her, she was his friend.

If that wasn't enough, Zhang Bao, Guan Xing and Guan Ping had also been killed. This was a major blow to Shu, but not enough to sacrifice the justice they fought for.

It was just after Liu Bei declared war that they heard from another messenger about the others. Zhang Fei had lost control completely. Everyone ended up running away or risk having some part of the castle thrown at them. Not even Liu Bei could calm the man down. It probably wouldn't have done any good if he tried though. They would have only just feed off of each other's anger. Then, they would be worse off than before.

Ma Chao came to one of the courtyard to find Zhang Fei drinking himself to a mess. It really was a sad and pathetic sight, but could he really be blamed this time though? He had lost a sword brother, his son and his daughter in one battle. Ma Chao, had only lost two dear friends, Zhang Bao and Zhang Xing Cai. His loss paled in comparison.

It didn't help that Lady Xiahou and Zhang Xiao were due to arrive tomorrow. He had heard that Xing Cai was close to her sister, and he didn't know if he could handle seeing a mother's reaction to the loss of a son and a daughter.

x

Zhuge Liang made a point of avoiding everyone. He didn't want to get tangled up in this web of emotion. So he stayed in his study. He examined map after map because Liu Bei already had him working on the battle preparations. The first thing to do was figure out where to attack Wu from. Jiangdong was out of the question. To get there they would have to cross the central plains, Cao Wei central. If they tried to march north of Cao Wei, it would take years, which was simply time he didn't have. So that only left the south. That was good since he still wanted to attack Nanzhong.

The master strategist pulled out a new map of the southern land, Yiling in particular. That was the first place that came to mind.

Just as he opened the scroll, his door burst open. He didn't jump, he never jumped because of such surprises. So he calmly looked up at his Lord.

"My lord, we will have to go south if we want to attack Wu..."

Liu Bei's face turned red.

"As far south as Nanzhong!" He demanded.

"No." Zhuge Liang calmly replied. "It is the only direction we can go. If we go straight to Jiangdong, we'll have to cross Wei territory. Going north would take too long."

"What about the river? We could sail along the Han river and follow it to the sea. Then swing around and attack Jiangdong with our fleet."

Zhuge Liang was about to ask;

"_What fleet? We don't have one."_

He decided not to of course. Reminding his lord that they had no navy wasn't a wise thing to do since that would only enrage Liu Bei all the more.

"My lord, after Chibi, Cao Cao's own fleet was destroyed. We didn't benefit from that. We got Ye instead. Wu was the one who benefited from Cao Cao's lack of naval strength. By now they have a much stronger navy than we, or Wei, could ever hope to assemble."

"How long will it take!"

"To prepare for a naval battle, it will take years. By marching south, maybe a month."

Liu Bei didn't look pleased by either option.

"Couldn't we take Mai and Fan castle back? What's stopping Sun Quan from continuing right to Chengdu?"

"The rough terrain between Mai castle and Baidi castle. It will take Wu years to clear out a path way through the rolling hills."

"We managed to do it." Liu Bei reminded him.

"Yes, my lord. We managed, but we used a northern path. After the rain, it's probably flooded over. Wu's only choice will be to go around the hills. That's something they aren't likely to do."

"Why?"

"Because if Sun Quan plans on taking Ye from us, then he would need to have a way through the hills. So why not build a road instead of going around and having to go back and build one later?"

Liu Bei pondered everything he told him for a long moment.

"Very well. What place do you have in mind to attack Wu at?"

"Yiling."

"Yiling? What's so special there? It's on the Yangtze isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Then it belongs to Wu."

"Yes, the navy you want me to build can move ahead of us and capture it with ease. It's not very well guarded. I'm not certain, but I think that there aren't any major generals guarding it at the moment. I'll send some scouts to find out."

Liu Bei finally seemed to be satisfied, probably because they could start with something right away. Ugh, where has his lord's virtue of patience gone?

"Good, then don't waste any time."

Liu Bei turned to leave, but Zhuge Liang had one more thing to say.

"My, lord."

Liu Bei stopped and turned to face him.

"I understand you anger, but I must tell you that if we rush things such as this, we will have another Mai castle on our hands. Only, it will be here in Chengdu."

Liu Bei didn't reply. He simply left Zhuge Liang to his thoughts. He turned and began looking through his collection of maps once again. Before he had time to find the one he wanted, Zhang Fei burst into the room.

"So hey, how's the planning and strategizing and all that coming along?" The general asked him.

Zhuge Liang answered without turning around. His scrolls were a mess and it would be hard to find his place again if he was interrupted now.

"Fine, the only enemy that remains for us is Cao Cao." He answered since he didn't really consider Wu their enemy, but they would have to go across Hanzhong's peaks to get to Yiling. "We only need cross the peaks of Hanzhong and we…"

Zhang Fei spun him around and lifted him off the ground by the collar of his robes.

"I can't stand you, you're cold as ice aren't you? You don't care about real people, Hanzhong's your only concern. Well, it was thanks to you that brother Yu was killed. I know it's not your fault. People die at war…" The general's voice broke as he said that.

Zhang Fei let him back down and collapsed into the chair behind Zhuge Laing's desk.

"Do you have to be so cold and calculating just to take this stupid land?" The mournful man demanded.

Zhuge Laing took a second to consider his answer.

"I believe our lord will serve all the land well, I will do whatever is asked of me. Just as you must do using your great strength…"

"I don't need anyone to tell me that!" Zhang Fei interrupted as he jumped to his feet. "Listen, we're going to take this land. Nobody's going to give up the fight. Don't screw up!"

With that, Zhang Fei left, just before he slammed the door behind him, Zhuge Liang said;

"The land shall belong to our Lord Liu Bei."

x

Liu Shan slammed his chamber door behind him in a rage. Wu had made themselves his sworn enemy by killing Xing Cai! What made them think that they had the right to attack Fan castle! Shu fought for the Han. He and his father were the last descendants of the Liu Han royals. They were the only ones with a claim to the land at all. Wei and Wu both fought for their own reasons. They should all die for their treachery!

But why Xing Cai! Why did she have to be so courageous? It led her to her demise. If only she would have stayed in Luo castle, then she would still be alive. Even if she'd of gone to Hanzhong with the others, then she'd be alive.

He knew that if given a choice, she would have gone to Fan castle with Guan Ping. He knew that there was something going on between them.

That didn't exactly matter now did it? They were both dead.

He felt his heart drop to the floor. If only he had acted sooner. If only he had told her how he really felt about her, then maybe she would have stayed in Luo castle, with him.

It was too late for this now, he had to move on. There were other women right? However, none of them were like Xing Cai. None of them could fight with the valor, courage and loyalty she did and none of them had half the sense of duty that she did. She had been one of a kind and he let her slip through his fingers.

Fate was cruel.

x

Wei Yan stormed around the castle, but was careful to avoid Zhang Fei and Liu Bei. He many have been slow in the head, but he wasn't a fool when it came to knowing when to not pick fights, contrary to popular belief.

Wei... enemy... he kill... all!

Wu... betrayed them... and kill... friends... they... die... too!

x

Zhao Yun watched as the others all found their own way to react to the loss. Everyone had their own way to do it. Zhang Fei, Liu Bei, Liu Shan and Wei Yan were all enraged. Lady Huang was thrown into remorse. Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, himself and Jiang Wei all kept to themselves with their emotions. So it was anyone's guess as to how they felt. Zhuge Liang was the only to appear to not feel anything at all.

Just when he thought that the worst was past, Lady Xiahou and Zhang Xiao arrived to hear the news from Zhang Fei himself. Their cries were worse to his ears that Liu Shan's were when he was an infant at Changban.

He wasn't the only one to suffer from their cries. Everyone else seemed to be thrown into an even grimmer mood than when they were first told by the messenger. As far as those two unfortunate messengers go, Zhao Yun had them go on an extended leave before anything happened to them. They both understood that it was Zhang Fei who worried him most concerning that.

Zhao Yun leaned on the railing of one of the castle's many balconies. He looked out onto the land to the west, towards Hanzhong. Then he turned to the east, toward Mai and Fan castle. If only he had been there instead, but then Huang Zhong would be dead and Wei's supplies would have never been burned. Then Hanzhong may not have fallen at all.

He thought of the future and wasn't sure about what it held. Before the news, they were going to keep going west, past the mountains, then swing south, toward Nanzhong, a fertile land full of the supplies they would need to conquer both Wei and Wu. Now that Liu Bei would put the southern campaign on hold in order to attack Wu at Yiling, at least, that's what he heard, no one knew quite what to expect. Liu Bei had gone to Zhang Fei and told him that Zhuge Liang was already coming up with a strategy for their next battle at Yiling. That's how he knew about Yiling.

Zhao Yun didn't know what would happen. They needed to keep and alliance with Wu to kept Wei in check, as he tried to explain to Zhang Fei without success.

Now that they were going to attack Yiling, Wu would turn against them. In fact, it was only a matter of time until Wu declared war on them since Liu Bei had officially divorced Lady Sun, as of a few hours ago. That marriage was the only thing that prevented Wu from waging all out war against them. Killing Guan Yu was just to appease their fears. They should have known that killing such an important general would make Shu declare war on them. There was no way that they couldn't know that, unless they were complete idiots, which he knew they weren't, but that meant, that Wu didn't fear Shu now that Guan Yu was dead. They must believe that they have the means and the strength necessary to conquer Shu, but not to conquer Wei. If the two weaker kingdoms fought, then Wei would only be that much stronger one when compared to whatever was left of the other two. They had to attack Wei, not Wu to keep the three kingdoms somewhat equal. At least, Shu would have even odds with the others.

He knew that this wasn't going to happen. Shu would attack Wu. Wu would go to Wei for help and both kingdoms, which were both bigger and stronger than Shu was, would attack them. With both kingdoms turned against them... Guan Yu may not have only lost Fan castle and Mai castle, but also the entire war for Shu, unless someone could get through to Liu Bei and convince him not to react so irrationally, but who?

* * *

This chapter was fun! I enjoyed writing through so many different perspectives! Now that Xing Cai is dead, *tear*, I need to find someone else to write through. I was thinking either Zhao Yun or Ma Chao. Let me know what you think! By the way, I really can't update until I know who the story will be through. So if you have a request, tell me in a review or send me a message. If you don't, then I really can't promise when the next update will be.


	21. A Promise is Kept

Alright I have a confession! I didn't really want to update this story. I only did because there are still plenty of people(hopefully) who actually enjoy my writing. I can handle spams, but I don't do flames. I've gotten some flame emails and they weren't too kind. Flames are mean and they don't do anything but hurt feelings. I'm not the emotional type, but saying that my story quote 'sucks because everyone died' isn't cool!

Anyway this is for those you who actually wanted an update.

* * *

21. A Promise Kept

Zhang Xing Cai's mind ceased to make sense to her. So she gave up on trying to sort out the flashes of memory and the flashes of reality that happened between the hours she spent in absolute darkness. That darkness was the only time she was at peace, but even then, something wasn't right. The voices that rang in her head did so continually. Was this really what death was like? Wasn't she supposed to be in the heavens and weren't the heavens supposed to be full of light since they were in the clouds?

This was nothing like she had thought death would be like. Everything was black. It was as if she was blind or something.

Every once in a while, she would have a flash of the world outside of her own confusion, but when those did happen, she usually saw blood. So she would close her eyes against them and force her mind back into darkness, which wasn't too hard considering she was constantly being pulled back into the darkness whenever she wasn't in it.

The voices she heard at first were from so many different people that she couldn't attempt to count them all.

x

"Quick, get her to Hua Tuo!"

x

"What's wrong with her?"

"An arrow wound to the gut."

She thought she felt some hands on her.

"She's cold, far too cold to be normal."

x

"Hua Tuo, who is she? She's wearing armor, but I didn't think that Shu had any woman soldiers."

"Lord Sun Quan, she's an officer of Shu."

"An officer? Then let her die, but… who told you to try and save her in the first place?"

"Master Lu Meng, he said that she would be a valuable hostage, and you forget lord, I don't serve Wu, Wei or Shu. I serve life. So I fight for anyone who needs my help. Be they Guan Yu, Cao Cao or even you."

"Alright, alright, I get it. If Lu Meng told you to save her then go ahead."

x

After an eternity, there were only a few voices she could hear.

"How is she?"

"Sun Quan! Ugh, you scared me."

"Sorry."

"Hua Tuo said that she's past the worst of it. Her temperature is rising, which he said is good. It should be back to normal soon."

"But she's still not breathing right."

"Yes, he said that once we get the cold out of her, it too will be normal again."

There was a pause.

"Anyway, Lu Xun, I've heard from our spies that Shu's already planning an attack."

"Yes."

"Now that we no longer have Lu Meng with us. Lu Xun, I was hoping you'd become my master strategist."

x

When everything came to focus, Cai found herself in a bed that was in a red tent. Red, why red? She had only ever been in white and green ones. Why... Wu. Even the thought of the word sent a wave of anger through her.

She sat up to find that she was very dizzy, but she didn't care. She knew she had heard Sun Quan's voice multiple times and she was set on killing him. So she stood up and made her way toward the bright light that must be the exit. Her feet didn't do a very good job of staying under her and that made walking hard.

Before she got to the flap of the tent, she collapsed, but she wasn't sure why. Had she tripped on something? All she knew was that commotion had been stirred outside. She heard alarmed voices and loud order given, but that's all she remembered because the darkness in her mind called her back inside it.

x

The next time she came to, she saw Sun Quan standing halfway between her bed and the entrance of the tent. His back was turned to her as he discussed something with one of his soldiers.

She jumped to her feet and lunged at him. Before he had time to react, she had already leaped onto his back and tackled him to the ground. He lay on his back facing her. She had a knee on either side of his waist. She wasn't clear on how they ended up like this, but she used it to her advantage and thundered her fists into him wherever she could. Impressively enough, he blocked most of her blows with his palms, but she did manage to hit him in the face and gut a few times.

"Get her off!"

Then a petrifying pain swept across the back of her head. She fell on her back with her arms and legs sprawled across the floor.

"Idiot! Hua Tuo went through all that work to save her. Now we can use her as a hostage and you nearly bash her skull in!"

x

The next time Cai woke up, she found that on top of everything else, her head hurt too. So this time, she didn't bother sitting up, but when she felt a hand on her forehead, she slapped it off.

She must have shocked the person since she heard a cry of surprise and some guards rush in.

"No! Stay where you were. I'm quite alright."

She recognized the voice right away. She popped her eyes open and sat up.

"Hua Tuo, you're here!"

"Yes, and you're lucky to be here as well."

"What happened?" She asked him as she tried to remember herself.

"To you, everything. When Lu Meng found you, you were cold as snow on a mountain and half bleed out. I managed to stop the bleeding thanks to the fact that the blood had halfway frozen on you skin. So I stitch you closed, bandaged you up and warmed you up. I must say that your recovery wasn't easy, but I think that you're one of my best success stories yet."

That wasn't very encouraging, but Lu Meng was the one to find her? He clearly hadn't known who she was at the time.

"Lu Meng? Ha!" She spat.

"Actually, Lu Meng's been very gracious about showing mercy on the women and children of Shu."

"What about the soldiers?"

He didn't answer.

"But I was certain that I died too."

"If you did, no one could guess what you would have died from first."

"First?" She questioned.

"Child, you had an arrow in you and you were freezing to death! It's a miracle that none of you skin is black and swollen and that you're even alive at all."

There was a pause that lasted an uncomfortably long time. She knew that there was something else he needed to tell her. If it was about the others, he didn't need to waste his breath. She may be dazed and confused, but she hadn't lost a moment of her memories.

"Unfortunately, there is also some bad news."

"I remember about Guan Yu and Guan Ping. You don't have to remind..."

"No, no... It's not about them." He paused again. "My lady, did you know that you were with child?"

"Yes, I... Wait! What do you mean 'were with child'!"

He sighed.

"Your internal temperature was so low that... that is was impossible for the child to survive. Your body will expel it once it realizes that it's trying to support a dead..." He didn't finish.

Cai wouldn't have heard him if he did. She had tempted the fates to try and make things worse for her, they just did.

She sank back down into the sheets.

x

Hua Tuo left the next day. By then, Cai was back on her feet with some Wu guards no more than a few paces away. Considering she was a hostage, she was treated fairly well. She was feed and all, but it was like living in a portable prison. She was only allowed in the tent Sun Quan had destined for her and no more than fifty paces from the main camp. Not to mention that she wasn't allowed in the armory, stable, soldier's, officers', lord's or strategizing tents. So that didn't leave her with many options of places to be, but she found a spot just outside the camp where she could sit by the river and watch the setting sun.

Her thoughts led her to places she didn't know it could go. She mostly thought of the past. She revisited her time with Ping often. She thought of that night at the pub in Chengdu. That had been the last time all of the Liu, Guan and Zhang children were together. A mere few years later, half of them were dead.

There was one thing that lingered in her mind.

"_No Ping! You're not going to die! Don't say things such as..."_

"_Xing Cai, I can no longer protect you. For... Forgive me."_

"_No Ping, you can't die. You know why? You're going to be a father now." _

"_No Cai, some... other man... is going to be."_

"_Ping, I can't..."_

"Ah, Xing Cai, there you are."

She was snapped out of her thoughts by the sudden and rude interruption of Sun Quan, but she recovered from it quickly so that she could calmly reply.

"It's Lady Zhang, actually." She corrected without turning around.

She didn't like it when her enemies called her by a name as casual as the one her friends used.

The emperor of Wu didn't respond. That, or he didn't notice the cold tone in her voice. When she did turn around, she saw that he had. Instead of lashing out like she expected him to, he brushed off her rudeness with a wave of his arm.

"Very well. Then Lady Zhang, I would appreciate it if you would return back to your tent at this time."

He had been trying to be nice to her, she didn't understand it, nor did she really care to. He was her absolute and undeniable enemy no matter what kindness he ever showed her. No matter what he did, it would never make up for the fact that he betrayed the peace treaty he and Liu Bei had made, which resulted in Ping's death and the death of her child, the death of the family she would never have.

"It's not sunset yet." She reminded him coldly.

He had always wanted her back in her tent by sundown. She only complied because she had to. She didn't have the strength to fight off the guards, yet. The whole time she was here she had been stretching the bounds of her captivity and this was just another chance to. Besides, what could he do to her? If he wanted to use her as leverage, then he would have to make sure she was never harmed. She knew that the others in Shu would never trade her, wounded and hurt, for any part of Ye. At least, she hoped they wouldn't. If she was going to be of any use to Sun Quan, she would have to be the very definition of good health. So they couldn't beat her and that meant they had no leverage on her to behave. They had nothing. There was nothing else for them to take away from her. They had already taken it all. Now all they could go was hole her up in the tent.

"Tomorrow we're going to settle into Mai castle. It will be an early morning. I thought you could use the rest." He explained.

Why did he even bother to pretend to be genuinely concerned with her well being?

"Don't bother using up your precious time to think about me." She mumbled under her breath.

x

The next day, Wu settled into Mai castle, just as Sun Quan had told her. Since all her things were still in her chambers, they let her keep it as her own. What they didn't know was that it had a lock from the inside. So Cai locked the lock tight and piled as much furniture in front of the door as she could. She didn't want to see any more red uniforms as long as she lived!

It didn't take long for someone to realize what she had done. For a while, they tried bursting the door open. When that didn't work, they sent a few soldiers to try and scale the wall to get in through her window. When this started, Cai simply took a piece of wood she broke off the trunk and used the rugged edge of it to cut the ropes with a seesaw motion. After she sent four soldiers to the doctor with various broken bones, they didn't try that again.

They must have known that she wasn't going to give in and let them in her chambers. So they gave up after two days. What they didn't know was that after cutting all those ropes, she now had a grapple hook and enough rope to scale the wall herself. All she had to do was wait for the right moment to leave and she would have to leave soon since she hadn't eaten for two days because they had no way of getting food to her. Luckily, she had thought of that and stole some meat buns when no one was looking before she locked herself in her room.

That night, she tied the pieces of rope together and put the grapple hook on the end. She grabbed her sack and put the meat buns inside. She changed into the spare black dress she had brought with since the armor would only slow her down. Then she waited by the window for the centuries to change shifts.

The guard must have been lazy and walked away before his replacement came. So Cai used this to her advantage and started climbing down the wall. It was thanks to all the knots that she managed to make it to the ground, but now she had to hurry. When the new guard came and saw the rope, he would raise the alarm.

She swung the sack over her shoulder and started up toward the rolling hills. It had taken them a few days to cross the tight woods and rough layout of the hills, but they had taken horses. Cai was on foot. She would be able to climb up and down the ledges that they had to waste so much time going around.

If she would make it a few miles into the hills, she would be in the clear. No search party would be able to keep up with her then.

Cai knew she didn't have much as far as endurance went so she took a break whenever she needed one. Better to stop and rest often than push too hard and exhaust herself.

It was good to be alone, and it was good to have a task ahead of her other than her own full recovery, which she was only jeopardizing by doing this. So she made sure not to strain herself but didn't stop longer than she needed to either. By morning, Mai castle was well out of her sight. She could hear the search party, but they were a long ways back and they would return to the castle by sundown. She had already covered more ground than what any person could cover in one day. So she wouldn't have to worry about looking behind her anymore. There was only the path ahead. All she had to do was keep putting one foot in front of the other.

"_You ha... have to go on...without me. Just... just make sure that he... deserves you. Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."_

"_I promise."_

There were few times in her life that she said something she really meant. The first, was when she swore her loyalty to Shu. The second, was when she told Ping that she wasn't going to regret it at Mt. Dingjun, which she still didn't. The third and final time, was when she promised to him that she would live on. She had almost broken that promise, but now she remembered it and she was going to live on. She wasn't going to be a hostage to Wu, Wei or even Guan Ping's memory. It wasn't what he wanted for her. Now, it wasn't she wanted either, but she wasn't going to go and forget about him too soon.

She stopped her march turned toward the direction of Mai castle.

"Thank you, Guan Ping, for everything. I'll never give up. I'll never let go. I promise."

A tear swelled in her eye. A quiet and mournful gasp escaped her. She whipped her eyes dry and continued toward Baidi castle.

SURPRISE! SHE'S ALIVE! Mwahahahaha!

* * *

A lot of people didn't like it that Xing Cai died. I was planning on continuing the story through Ma Chao's perspective, but I guess the story will continue with Xing Cai. This is because some_ nice_ people informed me that killing Cai won't benefit the story. I'm sorry. I'm not a professional author and the only way for me to learn is to try.

A lot of you may not like this story any more, but please, no flames! Only _constructive_ criticisms please!


	22. The Star Returns to Chengdu

Wow, sorry for the REALLY late update guys, but I've been really busy with midterms. Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

22. The Star Returns to Chengdu

After a few more hours, she stopped to eat. She thought she could eat a dozen meat buns all on her own, but she only had a few and since she didn't want to over eat, she only ate one. Her stomach still growled for more. She focused on the path ahead to distract her. When she started getting the jitters, she ate another cold soggy bun. She only had to make it to Baidi since she could restock there and continue on to Luo castle. She couldn't stop at Baidi for more than a few hours, it was probably swarming with Wu spies.

She had eaten all the meat buns and needed some water. It was ironic. What she needed most now was all they had back in Mai castle.

She made her way through the city gates. It was early in the morning, and there was no doubt in her mind that the people that stared at her were wondering why a beaten up, rugged looking twenty-year-old girl like her was doing here this early in the morning.

Then she realized that she didn't have any means to pay for the supplies she needed and she couldn't simply use the 'Zhang tab'. She couldn't use her name at all. If she did, she knew that it would travel to the ears of someone from Wu. If that happened, one of them would take her back to Mai castle.

She could barely believe that she, the daughter of Zhang Fei, was reduced to stealing. She went over a vendor selling canned fruit from the last harvest season. When the vendor's back was turned, she snatched up a small can. Then she rushed into the nearest alley and ate. When she was done, she took the jar to the town well and filed it. She drank with long, big gulps.

She left the can next to the vendor's booth and left the city. Although she felt much better, she was tired of this, but there was no way she was giving up now even if her ankle was stinging with pain every step she took on it. She was so close to Chengdu. When they stopped here on the way to Mai castle, they had only been riding for ten hours. So she probably only had two more days left if she walked day and night.

She doubted that those peaches provided her with enough energy to make it, but if she could come across a Shu scout, she wouldn't have to make it all the way.

Morning turned to midmorning. Midmorning turned to midday. Midday turned to the afternoon, then late afternoon. Finally, night came. She was a quarter of the way to Chengdu from Baidi castle. Her feet began to feel raw. It wouldn't be long before they would begin to blister. If they did, it would slow her immensely.

Somehow, she made it till morning. Now that she could see, she took her boots off and carefully watched where she placed her feet. She kept her mind focused so hard on her footing that she barely noticed when the sun went down once again. She put her boots back on and found that her hands were trembling.

She didn't know how close she was to Mai castle. So she didn't know if she would arrive there tomorrow or not. All she knew was what direction to go in.

After another long night, she continued with the morning sun on her back. She dragged her toes along the dirt of the road she was now following.

"_Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."_

"_I promise."_

She meditated on those words.

"Halt! Who goes there!"

She stopped and looked for the source of the voice. When she spotted it, it was a soldier dressed in a green uniform a top of a chestnut colored horse.

Relief that she couldn't explain flooded over her.

"My name is Zhang Xing Cai, daughter of General Zhang Fei of Shu. Take me to Luo castle!"

The scout stared at her with eyes half as big as her head.

"We thought you where... Get on."

He offered her his arm. She took it. When he tried to swing her up, she hadn't jumped on time and only stumbled. So the scout stepped down to her level and gave her a leg up. She seated herself behind the saddle so that they could ride together. That way, they could get to the castle faster. The scout climbed up in front of her and took the reins.

"How long will this take?" She asked.

"I can get you back to the castle in an hour."

"Do it."

The heavens finally gave her a break in the form of the horse, for it could lope smoothly. If it had been a rough horse, she would have had to use energy she didn't have to stay on.

She held to extra fabric of the soldier's sleeves. She finally let her eyes close, but didn't sleep.

"My lady, we've arrived at Chengdu."

"Take me to Luo castle."

"I'm not allowed to ride right up to..."

"Take me there, please."

The scout nodded and trotted the horse up to the castle. She had never been so glad to see it. They stopped in the training courtyard, where the shades had broke. Zhao Yun wasn't too far off with his latest group of trainees. Ma Chao was lunging a young stallion. Her father was sitting barely a few paces ahead of them with his back turned so he hadn't seen them yet. They were like ghosts that she was afraid would disappear if she reached out for them. This wasn't a dream. She knew that, there was too much pain for this to be a dream.

All of Zhao Yun's trainees stopped moving as they turned to face her. Zhao Yun turned to see what they were looking at and froze. Ma Chao noticed when he turned as the horse ran around him. Everything went quiet. Everyone stared.

Then Zhang Fei turned to look at what everyone else was. Of course, since Xing Cai was riding in the back, he didn't see her. All her saw was a scout that was riding where they weren't supposed to. So he jumped to his feet and shouted.

"Hey! What are you do...!"

Cai grabbed the scouts arm for him to lower her to the ground. She then turned to face her father who had been silenced by the sight of her. She began to take steps toward him, tears streamed down her face.

"Father, they're dead. All of them."

That's when she collapsed. She had made it close enough to her father that he caught her.

"Bring some water!"

"Send for the physician!"

"Go get Xiahou and Xiao!"

Her mother and her sister... they were here?

x

She let out a breath and slowly peeled her eyes open. She was in her chambers of Luo castle. She recognized it by the desk and the trunk. She could barely believe that she had made it back, but what she couldn't believe was who she saw sitting on a chair beside her bed, holding her hand. He massaged the back of her hands with his thumbs. She shyly pulled her hand out of his grasp, startling him.

"Xing Cai! Thank the heavens..."

"Liu Shan..." She started as she sat up. "They're dead. They're all dead."

He leaned over her and put his hands on her shoulders. She put her hands on his wrists and looked up at him.

"You need to rest now Cai."

"No!"

She tried to push him off, but he was much stronger than she was. So she tried to fight him off altogether, but he grabbed her to keep her still. When he had her completely engulfed, she gave up, but he didn't let her go right away. He was hugging her!

"Shan!"

"Sorry." He told her and her let her go. "Here, I had some of the cooks bring some tea."

He poured her a cup and gave it to her. It had been a long time since she felt something so warm. She drank it rapidly.

"Where's my father? He's not off to attack Wu already is he?"

"How did you know we are planning to attack Wu?"

"I heard some of their officers talking about it."

She didn't really want to talk about how Sun Quan had been so nice to her. She didn't like it. So she didn't mention his name.

"If Wu already knows we're going to attack them..."

Liu Shan jumped to his feet and ran out of the room. She wasn't left watching his wake long since Zhao Yun and Ma Chao came in. She smiled when they came in.

"You're awake!" Ma Chao exclaimed.

The two of them moved beside her bed.

"How are you feeling?" Her old mentor asked.

"Better, but I'd like to see my father."

The two of them exchanged worried looks.

"What's wrong!" She asked, sounding more alarmed than she intended to.

The two men's eyes went wide. Zhao Yun raised his palm to her. That had always been his signal to her to calm down, whether be if she lost a duel or won one.

"Oh... ah... no. It's not that something's wrong. It's just that, I'm not sure that you're up to getting up and moving around is all." He explained.

She was relieved that he was simply concerned with her well being. Which was strange since she normally was annoyed when people acted like this towards her, but this time, she really couldn't blame them, after all, she had been gone for nearly three weeks.

"It's alright, Zhao Yun. I'm fine, really."

She pushed the sheets off to find that she was still in the dress she wore on the long walk here. The bottom half of it was full of tears and holes and stained beyond saving. However, it was a small price to pay to get here alive. She didn't really care about the dress anyway. Sun Quan had given it to her. She had planned on burning it later.

She swung her legs over the side of the bed to stand. Zhao Yun and Ma Chao knew that there was no stopping her now. So they both left for her to change and wash.

Cai stripped down and washed her face in the bowl of water that had been left for her. Then she washed her hair and the parts of her body that were the biggest sources of sweat and odor. Then she put on one of her more comfortable dresses. The lump was already gone from her belly. The fact that she had lost a significant amount of weight helped with that cause. Now she could add starvation to the list of things she had almost died from. It was already a pretty impressive list, even for an ordinary general, but for a woman general, it was unheard of. She even had a few scars to prove it. She guessed she would have one from the arrow, she did. It was an ugly spot, at least it will be once the stabs come off. She also had a few raised streaks from the cuts she got from spears and swords alike. The cuts on her legs and face from her long walk were healing nicely, so she would be surprised if any of them scarred.

She left her chambers to find that Zhao Yun had been waiting for her. His expression was grim and full of worry because of whatever thoughts were swirling in his head. He turned to face her.

"Before I take you see everyone, I have to tell you something."

She knew it! She knew that he was worried about more than just her well being.

"What?"

"Lord Liu Bei has declared war on Wu. I know that you feel we should ride out immediately, but think for a moment." He paused. "Say we do go to war, even if we somehow do win, we'll be weaker than we were before right?"

"Right." She answered.

"And since Wei really didn't lose a whole lot in either battle, Wei is still as strong as it was before."

Now she understood where he was going with this.

"That means that Shu's strength won't be able to compare to Wei's." She finished for him.

He nodded.

"Do you think that Wei would even hesitate to attack us?"

"No, of course they wouldn't." She answered.

"Of all three kingdoms, Shu is the weakest right now. We have little men and little supplies. Zhuge Liang planned for us to attack Nanzhong, a land far south of here. It's ruled by savages, so it could be taken easily and it's full of food. It could give us the supplies we need." He explained to her.

"Then why hasn't Wei or Wu tried to take it?"

"For Wei to take it, they would have to move between Wu and Shu territory. Their strategist isn't as foolish as to go to the doorstep of two kingdoms that used to be allied with each other against them. As for Wu, they're focusing on taking Shu's land."

"Then we should stop them. We can't keep moving every time someone attacks us." She argued.

"We can't. We have to stay in Chengdu. To get here, Wu would have to cross the rough country and they won't be able to until the land dies up, which will be in a few months. We're safe here from Wei and Wu invasion and from natural dangers, such as extreme winds and so on."

She didn't like it, but Zhao Yun was right.

"Okay, I get it. We should go south and resupply there, but what does this have anything to do with me?" She asked.

He sighed.

"Liu Bei... he... he might at least postpone the attack on Wu if you could distract him of his loss long enough."

"How! How could I do that?"

"All you have to do is keep Zhang Fei here as long as you can. Liu Bei won't go to war without him. That might give us the time to make the necessary preparations to at least stand a chance against Wu."

She nodded.

"What about Liu Bei? He's the one that we really need to convince."

Zhao Yun nodded in agreement.

"Yes, I'm going to try and get Liu Shan's help with that."

"I doubt that Liu Shan will help." She mumbled.

"He will, if you can convince him."

She rolled her eyes.

"Why me?" She groaned.

"Because you were the only thing he's been able to think about since we heard that... well... since we heard that you were dead. It's been hard for everyone and now that you're back. It might just remind Liu Bei of how lucky he is that anyone survived at all. He might realize the mistake he's about to make."

She didn't think that they thought that she was dead. Sure she had been gone for a few weeks, but she didn't think that they would come to that conclusion. Well, thinking about it, it did make sense. She probably looked dead with when she was lying on the ground. Guan Yu's head on the pike didn't help. It usually was a safe assumption that when the commander's head was on display, all the other generals were dead too.

"Alright, I do it. I'll do whatever I can to help." She eventually agreed.

After all, part of this was her fault. If they could have been able to hold Mai castle, then Guan Yu wouldn't have been executed. This was the least she could do to try and redeem her failure.

* * *

A chestnut horse is a brown horse that has a slight yellow color to it.

When someone lunges a horse, they put a long rope on and make the horse run circles around them. It may seem pointless, but lunging is really important. It can be used for several reasons. I use it when I train horses to get them used to how the saddle feels. That way, they can run around and get used to it without anyone getting hurt since horses usually try and buck it off the first few times.


	23. Bottling Up

23. Bottling Up

She noticed the effect on the castle immediately, even though she had previously only been in the training courtyard, but she didn't need to be around that much to notice that the castle had been completely redecorated. Normally, green Shu banners were hung in the form of tapestries, but now, paintings and other fine art was put on display. Vases were filled with wild flowers of every color.

She was the only thing in the castle that wasn't clean and polished to perfection, but she was the reason everything else was. That made for an awkward atmosphere. Of course, no one intended that, so she brushed it off and put on a smile.

Her reunion with the other generals had been emotional enough, but her reunion with her family even brought tears to her eyes. When Zhang Xiao hugged her, she never completely let go. The two of them stayed hand in hand for the entire day. That, or Xiao had her hand on her shoulder for guidance when they walked. Xiao wasn't familiar with Luo castle at all and she wasn't going to walk the halls alone.

The majority of that day was spent in the gardens having a kind of tea party. She sat with her family, the Liu's and any general who took the time to join them. These included Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhuge Liang, Lady Huang, Jiang Wei and even Wei Yan, who didn't stop by for long, but not enough for him to say;

"Glad... you're... back."

Liu Bei decided to throw a feast tomorrow night, which was perfect, because not only would he be distracted by the preparations all day tomorrow, but he would also be left tired and drowsy the next morning. She doubted that he would be able to plan a battle if he were so tired. No one pointed out to him that it would save time and make more sense to have the feast tonight. That is, until Jiang Wei asked;

"Why not tonight?"

She and Zhao Yun exchanged frantic looks while Liu Bei pondered this new thought. Stupid Jiang Wei! Wasn't he supposed to be Zhuge Laing's replacement! How could he if he was so clueless. Then again, he hadn't exactly been told about the desperate attempt to stall any military action.

"That's a good idea, Jiang Wei."

She spoke out.

"My lord, I don't think that I could handle a feast tonight."

"She did walk all the way here from Mai castle without stopping, even after being fatally wounded." Zhao Yun added. "I think we should let her sleep tonight. Then, maybe she'll be up for it tomorrow night. Right, Xing Cai?"

She nodded. Liu Bei looked disappointed, but he couldn't really argue with them on this point.

"Very well, I hope you get a good night's rest, Xing Cai."

For the rest of the afternoon, everything went smoothly but there was no ignoring the fact that it was incomplete. Guan Yu, Guan Ping, Guan Xing and Zhang Bao weren't there. If they were, everything would be perfect, but they weren't and it left her with a hollow feeling. Everyone else was simply happy with her return to Chengdu. She wasn't. At times during her walk here, she wondered why she couldn't have died at Guan Ping's side. That may have been better for her, but not for Shu.

If there was some kind of greater force out there keeping her alive, it was so that she could continue to support Shu. That was her purpose, and so, that's what she would live for. Everything she would do would be for her honor and duty and for glory of Shu, but most of all, for the future. The driving force behind her would be the promise she made to Guan Ping.

"_Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."_

"_I promise."_

Xiao had been right when she said that family was a reason to fight. She was far more right than she could have ever known at the time. It's strange that someone who can't have the same quality of life as other people knew more about it than they did.

x

That night, she slept well. Xiao didn't come to her room since she didn't know the way. It was alright though. Cai needed the undisturbed sleep and was grateful for it.

x

The next morning was simply a continuation of the previous day. More statements like;

"It's so good to see you!"

"It's good to have you back."

It was nice to know just how much she was appreciated in Shu, but she wanted things to go back to when she wasn't the center of attention.

To distract herself from everything, she focused on trying to find the right time to explain to Liu Shan that they couldn't attack Wu. She understood now why Zhao Yun wanted her help. She had lost the most at the hands of Wu. She was the one who was in the position to want to attack Wu in the name of vengeance, but she didn't. She would have been the main driving force and the main source for morale, but she didn't want to fight. That alone might make the men not want to fight either. Only, that might not stop Liu Bei, which was why she had to convince Liu Shan that they couldn't attack. Only his son might stop their lord from destroying their chances of uniting the land.

So, in her new understanding, she managed to catch Liu Shan alone.

"Shan, can I speak with you?"

"Sure."

She led him to one of the deserted halls, which was hard to find since people were rushing back and forth as they prepared for the feast, where they could talk in private. They stood facing each other, only two paces apart, thanks to the narrowness of the hall.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I heard that Liu Bei wants to attack Wu." She started.

Liu Shan seemed disappointed.

"Oh, yeah. He and Zhuge Liang are planning something."

She pretended that this was the first she heard of it and sat down on the floor as if overwhelmed.

"What's wrong?" He asked as he kneeled in front of her.

"Wu will trample us." She answered weakly.

"I doubt that. With Zhuge Liang, his strategy will make up for the lack of men."

She shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. I've been to the Wu camp in Jing. It's bigger than our whole kingdom. We don't have the supplies we need either to compete with them. Zhuge Liang is brilliant, I agree, but Wu also has a strategist. I met him too. He's no fool."

Liu Shan became discouraged by her words. He too sat down. They sat across from each other.

"Did you tell my father?" He eventually asked.

She shook her head.

"No, he won't listen to me."

"How can you say that? If you were in the Wu camp, he'll know that your information is first hand."

She hooked some stray hairs behind her ear.

"It's not that Shan. It's that he won't realize that Shu isn't strong enough to attack Wu."

Shan leaped to his feet.

"Are you saying that my father's wrong to want revenge for his brother!" Shan nearly shouted.

She nodded.

"Yes, Shan, we can't risk the future of Shu for personal closure."

Shan's face turned red.

"I know that you're upset over the loss of your brother, but think of it like this, if you lost more than just a brother, you would want revenge too."

Cai stood up to match Shan. Little did he know that she had lost so much more, but that was her 'ace in the hole'. She would use that little piece of information on Liu Bei himself, when everyone was there to see it. Then she would make it clear that she put Shu above her own personal feelings like everyone should. For right now, she could Bao to win Shan over.

"Guan Yu was Liu Bei's sword brother. I lost a blood brother that I knew and loved for many more years than Liu Bei even knew Guan Yu. I watched my brother die. I saw the wound that the halberd left in his gut. His last request was that I tell the rest of the family how much he loved them. I held his hand as he told me that he loved me with his dying breath."

Tears began forming in her eyes. It was more than Liu Shan could stand.

"Alright, what do you want?"

"I want you to tell you father to stall the attack, at least until we can properly build our strength. Preferably, I'd like you to talk him out of attacking at all."

"Why? If we can take Wu, then we're one step closer."

"What about the next step? If we do attack and somehow win, Shu will be weak, tired and significantly smaller. Wei will still be strong and won't hesitate to attack. It's won't matter who wins, Wei will attack them and seize the land for themselves. Shu's mortal enemy will win."

Shan nodded.

"I see. I'll try and talk father out of it sometime tomorrow, but I can't make any promises."

She smiled.

"Thank you, Shan."

He must have thought that the 'thank you' was a permissive gesture or something, because as soon as she said it, he hugged her tightly. She had no choice but to return it. As soon as she felt his muscles loosen, she pulled away. She gave him a smile and left. After all, Zhang Xiao always enjoyed getting ready for any kind of special event with her. First she went to her room and put on the cool green colored dress with a square cut collar and black lacing that Lady Huang picked out for her.

The sisters had decided to meet in Xiao's room. When she went inside, she found Xiao, her mother and Lady Huang inside. They had set up a large mirror on the wall and gathered every kind of womanly thing in a bottle they could find, perfumes, makeup and other things she wasn't particularly knowledgeable about.

"Oh Cai, there you are!" Her mother exclaimed. "A new dress."

She looked down at herself and realized that her mother hadn't seen it before.

"Kind of, Yue Ying picked it out for me."

She remembered to call Lady Huang by her real name since she decided to call everyone by names and not by titles any more. That decision was assisted by Yue Ying's own husband, Zhuge Liang. Cai hated it when the strategist called her 'Lady Zhang'.

"What does it look like?" Xiao asked.

Lady Huang gave a strange look. Of course, she didn't know how Cai explained to her sister what colors were.

"It's the color of new leaves and the night sky." Cai stated.

Xiao smiled.

x

The feast took place as soon as the sun went down. Liu Bei took his usual spot at the head of the table. She was seated at the place of honor at her lord's right hand side. Next to her went her father, her mother, Zhang Shao and Zhang Xiao. Liu Shan sat across from her. Next to him was Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying, Zhao Yun, a woman she didn't recognize and then Ma Chao. Huang Zhong, Jiang Wei, Wei Yan and the other generals, who she wasn't as acquainted with, sat further down the table.

Liu Bei stood to make the first toast. Everyone else stood too since that was the protocol.

"To Xing Cai, a loyal soldier, good friend and an extraordinary young woman."

"To Xing Cai!" Everyone repeated before they took a drink.

Then everyone sat down. Cai felt her cheeks turn pink and smiled shyly to try and hide it. Now was when the person that the toast was honoring, her in this case, normally gave a speech. Cai had never been good at speeches of any kind. So she simply raised her own drink and said.

"For the future of Shu."

"The future of Shu!" Everyone repeated.

The cooks brought the food out. Conversation erupted following it. Many people requested hearing her story of survival. She looked at Zhao Yun to see what he thought she should do. He gave her a knowing look and very slightly, only noticeable for her since she was looking for it, nodded his head. Regardless, she declined.

"I think I'll save that for some other time." She announced.

She hadn't told anyone anything about what happened at Mai castle, except for Liu Shan when she tried to get his help with Liu Bei. She would tell the story when there was a point to. Right now, they could find something else to talk about. However, telling Liu Bei about the full impact of what she lost would be better if he knew exactly what happened first. She also knew that telling the part about when Guan Yu was beheaded would only enrage Liu Bei and her father, who right now needed to be distracted from their loss.

"Anyway, tell me about what happened at Hanzhong." She requested.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao both seemed to perk up at this request. Ma Chao told the story of how Zhao Yun saved Huang Zhong from a Wei ambush. The woman sitting between them blushed. She had dark hair and nearly black eyes. She was wearing a purple dress that only made the color in her cheeks more noticeable. She must be Ma Chao's wife.

That's when Cai felt bad for not ever asking Ma Chao about his home life. She knew just about every other general's home situation. She made a mental note to ask him sometime.

When they story ended, she gave praise to where praise was due, mostly to Zhao Yun.

"Yes." The woman agreed.

Cai turned to face her.

"I'm sorry, but who are you?" She politely asked.

"This is my sister, Ma Yun Lu." Ma Chao answered.

Sister? Really? They didn't look anything alike. When she looked for a similarity, she noticed the eyes. They had the same eyes, but why was she sitting between her brother and Zhao Yun? Shouldn't she be sitting between Ma Chao and Huang Zhong since she was with Ma Chao, but not more important than him according to the Shu protocol? Whatever.

The topic of conversation changed to the weather, which Cai had gotten the bad end of at Mai castle, so she didn't have any interest in it. Her attention was on Liu Shan, who was staring at her. She didn't return his looks.

* * *

Upon Kunnaki's request, I was finally able to bring Ma Yun Lu into the story. Sorry it took so long, but I didn't want her to just show up randomly.


	24. Secrets Told

24. Secrets Told

The next morning, everyone was slow in waking up. That may be what she wanted, but it made for a slow and boring morning. Physically, she felt as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. She wasn't sore anymore. Her ankle no longer hurt and other than the healing cuts on her face and legs, there was nothing that would suspect anyone of her ordeal. Emotionally, she felt as if the world was coming down on her. She wasn't sure if it was because she hadn't been able to mourn her loss, or if it was because she hadn't been able to get comfort. She couldn't exactly tell anyone the full extent of it. She couldn't inform anyone of the loss of her child, only of the loss of her fiancé.

Over the course of the next few days, the preparations for battle had slowed to a crawl. Zhao Yun's plan was working better than either one of them thought it would. So they didn't act for a while. Best not to act when things are going your way… right?

Her biggest problem, was finding out whether her place was with the women, now including Ma Yun Lu, or the generals. It was nice to have such a minor problem before her and she found a happy medium between women and generals. Although, the other generals wanted her to make sure she was recovered before getting involved in the war council again and the women simply wanted her to rest. So when one group frustrated her, she went to the other. Of course, she held her frustration inside when it came to the war council, at least until the meeting was over. The meetings were when Liu Bei and Zhang Fei both let all the generals know the extent of their anger. Afterward, Cai would usually go to her father and tell him that she wasn't ready to ride out to battle again and that she didn't want to see him off either. Reluctantly, he would agree not to leave. Thus, Liu Bei would go because he didn't want to go without his brother with him.

This worked for a time, but after a month, Liu Bei summoned the entire war council to the throne room. There was only one reason for that, he was going to announce where they were marching to.

"There has to be something we can do to stop it." Zhao Yun whispered low enough so that no one else, but her, Liu Shan and Ma Chao could hear it.

She nodded.

"But what?" Ma Chao asked.

"I've tried reasoning with my father, several times, but after he heard that Guan Yu's head was sent to Cao Cao in Xuchang, he lost it." Liu Shan added.

Cai cringed at the memory of seeing Guan Yu beheaded and then seeing it on a stake. She knew what she had to do to stop that from happening to any other officers of Shu. Only, she didn't want to do it.

The four of them were standing in a tight circle in the throne room as they waited for Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang to come in.

"I can stop him, at least for a while. I'm not sure how long it will work, but he'll have to wait for a while." She told them.

"What are you...?"

Ma Chao was cut off by Liu Bei's and Zhuge Liang's entrance to the throne room.

"Prepare to march to Yiling! We leave in two days at midday."

"My lord!"

She stepped forward so that she was in the front and center of the crowd of generals.

"We mustn't do battle against Wu. I've told you of their strength and numbers." She reminded.

"Silence!" He ordered her in a cold emotionless voice.

Maybe he expected the harshness of the order to silence her, it would have before, but Zhang Xing Cai had changed. Her heart had been hardened. She had seen the world's and the heaven's cruelty. Liu Bei's voice was nothing in comparison.

"With all due respect, my lord, no."

"What!"

"I said 'no', my lord."

"Xing Cai..." Her father rushed.

She turned to face the general worth a thousand men.

"No, father. I know you want revenge,"

She turned back to face Liu Bei.

"both of you do, but we must not jeopardize Shu's future for the sake of your brother's name."

"I'm not fighting for his name, I'm fighting for..."

"Revenge." Ma Chao cut in.

Liu Bei's face turned red in anger. The other generals were becoming brave enough to stand up for the good of Shu. It encouraged her to continue with her plan even though they weren't fighting as hard against the upcoming battle as she was.

"Xing Cai, I know that you're upset by the loss of your brother. You and I both have reasons to fight Wu." Lord Liu Bei said, almost returning to his normal sensitive stake.

"You lost your brother, so did I. As a friend, take my word that one brother is not worth sacrificing your vision for." She told him.

"Cai, you lost your brother. I lost my brother and my son. I'm the one if anyone, who should using loss as a reason to fight!" He father stated.

"If we're going to get into a fight over who lost the most, then just know that none of you can compare to mine!" She shouted in a voice she had never used before.

"Guan Yu may have been like an uncle and Guan Ping may have been a childhood friend..." Liu Bei started, but she interrupted.

"He was much more than that! They both were!" She screamed.

All the other generals were left silent. None of them had seen her scream or show this much emotion. The awkward silence made Xing Cai lower her eyes so that none of them would see the tears.

"If anyone has the right to make the decision of what to do next based on their loss, it's me." She quietly told Liu Bei.

Zhang Fei let out a heartless laugh.

"Ha!"

That was more than she could take. It was time to use her secret weapon, her 'ace in the hole'. Now would make for a dramatic moment as any and she wanted her father to know just how selfish he was being. If anyone had the right to drink themselves to a mess, it was her. She had lost more. That wasn't debatable, but it was Zhang Fei and Liu Bei who couldn't move past their emotions. She did, and she expected them to do the same.

"Guan Ping wasn't just a friend!"

Anticipation filled the air. She knew that everyone in the room had an idea about what she was going to say next, but most of them didn't dare to think it.

"HE WAS MY FIANCÉ! We were to be married once you returned us here. We were going to announce it when we returned from Mt. Dingjun, but we never got the chance." She paused, when no one spoke, she continued pressing her point. "Now you know that at Mai castle, I lost everything. I lost my future. The only future I have now is that of Shu and I'm not going to let you ruin it for Guan Yu's honor." Her voice sank to just above a whisper. "You weren't even the one to watch him die. I saw them all die right in front of me."

She turned and started walking out.

"My lord, those who follow you to Yiling will die. Someone will need to survive and make sure Shu has a fighting chance."

Zhao Yun began to follow her.

"My sister already lost one brother and my father lost a son. I won't be the second." Zhang Shao announced as he also left.

"I fight for your justice and virtue my lord, not for your personal desires of revenge." Ma Chao stated as he then too started to march out of the throne room.

"Father, I'll always love you, but someone has to fight for the people. If you won't, then I have to."

Liu Bei could barely believe it when his son also left the hall. Then Jiang Wei left too, without a word of explanation.

Huang Zhong and Wei Yan, both, only saw this as an opportunity to fight, so they didn't leave. Zhuge Liang must have some sort of scheme coming along, so he stayed at Liu Bei's side. Zhang Fei couldn't see past his own suffering, so he too stayed. The lesser generals didn't have the courage to turn against Liu Bei.

x

Xing Cai couldn't believe it when she heard that Liu Bei decided to go ahead and march for Yiling. Zhuge Liang himself even tried to stop him by saying that his health was too poor to allow him to travel, but even that didn't stop Liu Bei.

She couldn't take it. So, like she did in Mai castle, she slammed her chamber door shut and locked it tightly. She cried and pounded her fists into her pillow until she was exhausted.

Now everyone knew her pain, at least, the noble part of it. It wasn't exactly honorable that she had been with child and thankfully, only she, Guan Ping and Hua Tuo knew about it. She was certain that it was going to stay that way since she wasn't planning on telling anyone and she knew that Hua Tuo wouldn't. Any doctor was smarter than that and Hua Tuo was considered the best of them.

After a few hours, she left her chambers. Zhao Yun had come and told her that the others who were apposed to the battle of Yiling were meeting in the stables. At the stables, they could talk in secret. They walked together side by side.

"I'm sorry for you loss, Xing Cai." Zhao Yun quietly told her.

She had heard that a lot, even though she had missed the funerals. She had hated hearing it before, but now that it came from him and he knew what he was talking about, part way anyway, she appreciated hearing it.

"Thank you." She weakly responded.

When they got to the stables, Zhang Shao, Ma Chao, Ma Yun Lu, Liu Shan and Jiang Wei were all there waiting. They had been talking, but stopped once they saw her come in. She didn't want them to linger on her loss, so she started the meeting.

"I've done everything that I can. What can we do now?"

"The men's morale has gone down considerably now that the whispers are getting around." Ma Chao stated.

"And father feels as if he should have you support before riding to battle considering..." Liu Shan didn't finish.

So her plan of using Liu Bei's own guilt against him had worked, just not as well as it needed to. The fact that she wasn't good at manipulation was probably a good thing though.

"So what do we do?" Ma Yun Lu asked.

She must have come to Shu at Ma Chao's request, but was she a fighter? She acted like it and she was dressed in silver armor, so she must be. Good, Shu could use another good fighter.

Zhao Yun took a few steps toward her and took her hands in his. Then he raised them up and tenderly kissed them. Cai gave Ma Chao a look because of the gesture, but he didn't seem to mind what his sister and Zhao Yun were doing.

No way!

Zhao Yun turned to face them.

"Liu Bei can't march if we have the wedding right away."

She didn't mean to let a noise escape her, but a loud; "Ugh!" came out. Everyone stared at her.

"Oh Cai." Yun Lu said apologetically. "I'm so sorry. How could you have known?"

She took a breath and regained her composure.

"No, I'm sorry, Ma Yun Lu."

She didn't know Ma Chao's sister enough to simply call her 'Yun Lu'.

"Anyway, Liu Bei will know that we're stalling him." She finished.

"But what choice will he have? He can't go off to war while his favorite general is being married. What would that do to his reputation? Before you tried the guilt card, now we'll try the reputation card." Shan added.

x

If announcing her own engagement in front of all the generals at the top of her lungs was bad enough, it was nothing compared to hearing Zhao Yun and Ma Yun Lu announce their love for each other. It was tormenting see the look in Zhao Yun's eyes and know that the man that used to look at her like that never would again. It also made her feel like a little girl to see her 'nothing but business' mentor act like a love-stricken teenage boy.

Liu Bei nor Zhang Fei were as amused. They saw right past this. Zhang Fei left in a ruff while Liu Bei was forced to go along with it. He even gave Zhao Yun the week off, completely. Of course, that was what usually happened when one of the high ranking men were getting married. The last time that happened was when Zhuge Liang married Yue Ying. It was right after the battle of Chibi and before the Pacification of Chengdu. Cai had been there. She had been about fifteen.

However, she didn't know what it would be like to attend a wedding that was supposed to be hers, but wasn't.

Guan Ping told her that some other man was going to be the father of their child. Of course, that was when the child was alive. Either way, if there was going to be a wedding of her own in her future, he was going to have to be worthy of her. That is, if she ever could move on from Guan Ping. She had survived, so she had kept her promise. Now she needed to move on from it.

* * *

The road to recovery is a long one, as Xing Cai now knows. Ugh, this story makes me so depressed, but I love it!


	25. Torn

25. Torn

The wedding was officially scheduled for ten days from today. Zhao Yun and the others figured that ten days was as long as they could stretch the wait. These ten days were going to be the longest days of her life. Had Guan Ping lived, she would be planning the wedding, not watching it happen. Ma Yun Lu seemed to be a kind enough of a person, but Zhang Xing Cai couldn't help but hate her. It wasn't anything she did, it was something Cai couldn't do, be married to the man she loved.

While the women planned the wedding, Cai was off training, usually with Jiang Wei or Liu Shan. She didn't want to train with Ma Chao or Zhao Yun since all they would talk about was the wedding, probably. Although, they were guys and guys were never as bad about that kind of thing.

Spending so much time with Jiang Wei gave her a chance to get to know him. Apparently, his mother was sick. So he went to Wei where he could earn the money he needed to pay for a doctor, but she died. He wasn't really loyal to Wei. So after the castle he was defending fell to Zhuge Liang, he didn't see any reason not to defect.

She thought that it was strange that Shu had people defect to them from Wei, Wu and everywhere between. They had Lady Sun from Wu for a time, Jiang Wei from Wei, Ma Chao from Liang, Zhao Yun, who originally served Gongsun Zan. Shu seemed to be made up of people from all the different places Liu Bei came to. With the exception of Lady Sun, all of them had defected to Shu after fighting with or against Liu Bei. There was no doubt that Liu Bei had a talent for drawing people to him. It was something that even Cao Cao feared, or so she heard when Guan Yu and Liu Bei had talked about it.

Xing Cai dismissed these thoughts and refocused on the spar. Both she and Jiang Wei were used to using spear like weapons since her battle fork was still somewhere in Mai castle. Ugh! Why did everything she thought about always bring her back there? It was going to be hard to move on from it if her mind never did.

Jiang Wei had a strong and fluid fighting style. All his moves where carried out completely and were followed by another and another seamlessly. She could tell he was taking it easy on her, but she really didn't care. This was the first she fought at all in a month. So she was weak and sloppy. Maybe that would make for a fair fight against Liu Shan. She didn't challenge him. After two hours, she was tired and wanted to quit.

She thanked Jiang Wei for helping her and left. On the way back to her chambers, she spotted Zhao Yun and Ma Yun Lu at the end of one of the empty halls. Zhao Yun had her pressed against the wall. He had his hand on the back of her neck as he kissed her. Ma Yun Lu had her hands on his midsection just above his belt.

She looked away and quickly left before they saw her.

x

When dinner was served that evening, she leaned over to Zhao Yun and whispered;

"You might want to do something about your lips. They're pretty chapped."

For the first time she could remember, he gave her a nasty look. It was hilarious.

x

As every day passed, she trained a little longer and harder. By the day of the wedding, she was almost back into the condition she used to be. Her muscles on her arms and legs were back. Her stomach was flat once again. She was still skinnier than she was before her long walk. That wasn't all bad though.

She put on a happy face for the wedding. Her emotions were all over to place. Among them were anger, sadness, joy, jealously, yearning, rage and everything in between. She refused to cry. She had already cried her all. She also wasn't going to let herself glare. So her face was left emotionless. It was ironic since she was feeling every kind of emotion that there was to feel all at once.

By the time the feast began, she was almost in a daze. She cursed the heavens silently and blessed the mirage openly. She knew she wasn't the only one doing that. Liu Bei also had to wear the appropriate emotions on his face. By now, Zhang Fei was already drunk beyond recognition. His face hit the table hard and made a loud crashing sound. Mother blushed in embarrassment. Cai had officially disowned her father's drinking and wouldn't acknowledge any blood ties to him until he was sober. So she didn't care if he humiliated himself or not.

When Zhang Fei became conscious again, her mother led him out. Poor woman, she must really love him to put up with him this much.

Now, half of the original guests were gone. Liu Shan decided it was time to start playing 'truth and lies' once again. She had no desire to play and waited for a moment she could leave. That moment came when Xiao announced she wanted to retire. With their mother gone, it made it her duty to return Xiao to her chambers. The sisters said their good nights and gave their last blessings to Zhao Yun and Ma Yun Lu.

Cai held her sister's hand as they slowly made their way down the hall.

"Cai, why didn't you write to me about Ping?" Her sister asked.

She didn't answer right away. She did a few seconds later when she found the right words.

"Well, we didn't announce it yet, and I wanted to tell you in person."

Xiao nodded. That's all they ever spoke of that.

She bid her sister good night and closed the door of her chambers. Xiao's room was next to their parents. So that meant Cai had to cross the entire castle to get to her own chambers. It wasn't all bad. The night was beautiful. The cool air was calm. It smelled the same way it did just after a rain storm, but it hadn't rained for a few days. The clear sky above had a half moon and it was filled with diamond like stars.

The star was back. Now all she needed was the glory and she would be her former self again. That would return on the battlefield, but not yet. Shu wouldn't wage war for a while. That was the wedding custom.

She let out a sigh and sat down on a stone ledge of one of the short walls that had been built around a tree. These gardens had been so well built and planed out. The original gardener even planned where to put a pond and a bridge that would lead over it. It almost compared to one of the Zhen gardens of the east she had heard about.

Not many people knew this, but her father was a very talented gardener. Back home, they had the most beautiful trees and flowers for miles. He had picked up his hobby here and planted some peach trees. They seemed to be the growing symbol of Shu, probably because of the 'peach garden oath'. His, Liu Bei's and Guan Yu's oath of brotherhood had been in a peach garden. That's how it got the name. Lately the garden's inhabitants had been suffering under the hands of second rate caregivers. Including her mother and Ma Yun Lu since Zhang Fei had been ignoring the garden all together. She gave the women credit for trying, but no one could compete with Zhang Fei when it came to gardening.

"I guess that that's just another thing his drinking takes from him." She said to herself.

It also robbed him of his good judgment, which was already in low supply. Not to mention his temper. He truly was frightening when he lost his temper.

As it turns out, war isn't the only thing that takes. It may take the most from people, but wine takes things too. It takes the best of people. It takes the best of anyone and locks it away deep inside them until there's no trace of who they used to be. She may have lost her child, her fiancé, her brother, her future brother-in-law and her future father-in-law to war, but she lost her father to his liquor. The evidence was in the garden and in the scar just below her right ear. She would never forget the day she got it. It was a few years ago. Just after the right Liu Bei and Guan Yu had come to visit and all the kids had snuck out to the pub.

They had some company over, some neighbors. They had wanted to see the gardens since it was the early spring. So that meant that the peach trees were blooming. Mother had made dinner. Zhang Fei was so filled with pride and gloat that he allowed himself to drink himself drunk. When he poured himself yet another glass of wine, Cai tried to stop him by taking the wine bottle away. That was a fatal mistake. Zhang Fei shouted out at her and smacked her across the face with the back of his hand. It wasn't particularly hard, but he had been wearing a jeweled ring.

Cai raised her hand and stroked the gagged scar with her fingertips. It was her first scar. She had wanted it to be a battle scar. That way, when anyone asked about it, she could tell them a story from the battlefield. Instead, she usually came up with some lie about how she fell when she was a child and landed on her face on cobblestone or something like that. She never told anyone about how she really got it.

Zhang Fei probably didn't even remember when he gave it to her or that it was him at all.

Xing Cai stopped these trails of thoughts with a shake of her head. She leaned forward and put her elbows on her knees. She closed her eyes and imagined that Guan Ping was holding her. She imagined that it had been him and her up at the alter standing before Zhuge Liang saying their vows of faithfulness. She quickly dismissed these thoughts before it would be too agonizing to return to the real world.

"Xing Cai?"

If she hadn't just woken herself up from her day dreaming, then that voice would have. She turned and saw Liu Shan standing behind her.

"Liu Shan." She greeted.

"Mind if I join you?"

She shook her head and looked out at the gardens as he sat down next to her.

"We've managed to distract my father for almost a full month, but he'll march to Yiling as soon as tradition allows." Shan started.

She nodded.

"I know."

"What will we do then?"

She shrugged.

"I don't know. I've been trying to prevent my father from going to war by telling him that I'm not ready to go. Now I think that he'll just go without me."

"What about Shao?"

"He won't go."

There was a long silence between them. Cai sat up straight so that she could stand, but Liu Shan grabbed her arm to stop her. He put his hand on the back of her neck. He gently burrowed his fingers in her hair and guided her lips to his. She closed her eyes as he very tenderly kissed her. The rhythmic motion of his lips moving apart and coming together again was blissful. She even returned his kiss for a short moment before pulling away and leaving him by himself.

Her feet took her to her chambers where she broke down and cried.

x

The next morning was the perfect reflection of the occasion, but not for how she felt. She decided that she would pretend that Liu Shan's kiss didn't happen. In an attempt to forget about it, she trained with Jiang Wei for a few hours. Her brow was sweating and her muscles ached, but she wasn't done. After a while, Jiang Wei was called by Zhuge Liang for his lessons on strategies or morale or whatever else he was learning.

It was still early in the morning, so no one else was awake. So she put the wood shade away and went down to the stables. The horses greeted her with happy whinnies and squeals. They probably thought she was the stable boy that feed them in the morning.

It had been a while since she was in the stables and found that there were quite a few new horses. The only one she recognized was Hex Mark and Sunny. Her mother must have used the old mare and cart to get here.

She went over to Sunny's stall and let herself in. Sunny seemed glad to see her since her ears were pinned forward and her eyes had a kind look in them. Cai rubbed her palm up and down the mare's forehead.

She heard someone come in the barn. She went over to the stall door to see who. She was shocked to see Ma Yun Lu standing in front of one of the stalls. The horse inside was an impressive looking bay mare. It must be hers.

Cai had expected the newlyweds to sleep in till noon. That's what the norm was anyway.

"Xing Cai, I didn't expect to see you here." Yun Lu told her when she saw her.

"Mmmm." Was her response.

Since she didn't have any desire to talk with the woman, Cai left. She went back to the training courtyard to fight with whoever was there. Unfortunately for him, it was Zhang Shao. She took out her latest feelings of rage on him through the wood shade. His blocks were good and when he did attack, which wasn't often, it was hesitant. Of course, he didn't have any strength feed by pure rage at life itself.

x

The conversation at lunch was pleasant on the outside, but grim on the inside. Everyone put on a happy face for Zhao Yun and Ma Yun Lu, but it was all fake. Two lines had clearly been drawn right down the middle of their ranks. There were those who wanted to avenge Guan Yu and there were those who thought it to be a fatal mistake. Shu was torn. They were already a weak kingdom compared to Wu and Shu, so they all knew that they couldn't afford a civil war.

Later that day, Liu Bei asked to hear the story of Mai castle. She declined to tell him. She knew that hearing it would only fuel his rage.

Zhang Fei came to her a little later with the same request. She declined once again. Instead of politely nodding his head in understanding like Liu Bei had, he lashed out at her. It caught her off guard and she jumped to the side to avoid his fist. His fists shattered the vase she had previously been admiring. He let out a cry of rage.

"Father, stop!" She shouted.

It was in vain. He was drunk. There was no reasoning with him when he was like this.

The loud crash and screams quickly gathered a crowd. Among them were Liu Bei, Liu Shan, Zhao Yun, Ma Yun Lu, her mother and Zhuge Liang. Liu Shan and Zhao Yun jumped Zhang Fei. Each one of them grabbed one of his arms, but Zhang Fei swung them both over his shoulder. Both of them landed on their backs at his feet, at his mercy. Zhang Fei made his hands into fists.

"NO!" She and Ma Yun Lu both cried at the same time.

Lady Xiahou stepped in between her husband and the two men on the ground. Her husband wound his arm and slapped her hard across the face, like he had slapped her when he gave her the scar. Her mother was thrown to the side and hit against the wall where she then fell to the ground. Cai ran over to her. She was alright, but Cai felt rage she had never felt before.

Ma Yun Lu lunged to Zhao Yun's side on the floor.

Xing Cai turned to Zhang Fei. Her entire face was red with anger. Her fingers trembled as she made them into fists. Her entire body began to shake. Everyone fell silent.

"You're _not_ my father." She whispered, just loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.

Then she turned and and marched out.


	26. Looming Doom

26. Looming Doom

She cursed her life. Nothing was going right! The bright future she was fighting so hard to hold onto was completely gone. Shu was doomed. Guan Yu, one man, managed to bring a whole kingdom down and he wasn't even one of their enemies!

After she disowned him, Zhang Fei urged Liu Bei to ride for Yiling. They had almost managed to get Liu Bei out of his anger, but now that nothing was stopping Zhang Fei from riding to war, nothing was stopping him.

Zhao Yun's plans almost succeeded.

It didn't matter now. Liu Bei and Zhang Fei were riding to their doom and the demise of Shu. Although none of the others were going with, they were being dragged down too.

She watched Liu Bei's and Zhang Fei's departure from one of the upper level windows of the castle. She didn't cry and of course she didn't smile. She just felt hollow. It was as if she couldn't feel anything anymore. That was better than being hurt. So she was grateful for it.

Once the war party was gone, the castle was much emptier. The feelings of rage were diminished. It had been replaced with the fear and dread of looming death and doom. Everyone knew that Liu Bei and Zhang Fei went riding to their deaths this morning. Everyone felt useless about it. Only Zhuge Liang could help now. Their lord's life rested on his shoulders. If he could support Liu Bei best he could with the best advice he could give, then maybe Liu Bei would survive. It was no guarantee though and no one expected Zhuge Liang to be able to run the battle from the distance between Chengdu and Yiling.

Liu Bei and Zhang Fei had been gone for three weeks now. She hadn't seen Zhuge Liang for the better part of three days. So she knew that the battle was well under way. After meeting Sun Quan, she knew who they were going against.

At the moment, she was sparing against a handful of foot soldiers at the same time. Her excuse for beating them was a 'training session'. She did give them some advice.

"Move your feet!"

"Keep you eyes on your opponent, not their weapon!"

"Don't throw you entire body into one attack. You're opening yourself up to attack!"

"Don't hesitate!"

Those were some of the things she told them. After a few hours, she was seeping with sweat and her entire body was aching. She hadn't taken many hits, but she hadn't trained this hard in her entire life either.

After a while longer, Liu Shan came and dismissed the soldiers. They bowed and left before she had the chance to stop them.

"I understand why you're so bitter, Cai, but don't take it out on the men." He warned.

Her face reddened, but she didn't respond. Shan must have known that she wasn't going to give the usual;

"_Yes my lord."_

So figuring that silence from her was better than some obscene comment, he left.

In her anger and stubbornness, she didn't go for dinner that night.

x

A few days later, they got word of Liu Bei's defeat. Her father had managed to survive the retreat, but he was murdered by some of his men who then defected to Wu. Liu Bei wrote to them in Chengdu saying that he was on his way to Baidi castle. All the generals and their families left Chengdu that day and rode for Baidi.

x

They arrived at Baidi only to find that they got there just to catch Liu Bei on his deathbed. Hua Tuo estimated that he had hours to live. So Liu Bei only called for Zhuge Liang and Liu Shan. After three hours, all his final orders had been issued and all that was left was for him to give his final farewells and orders to the generals. They all stood around his bed with their families next to them. Liu Bei's voice was tired and raspy. It had the same tone that Zhang Bao's had when he was dying.

"Zhao Yun," Liu Bei started with the general with valor through and through. "you've served me well. Better than I ever imagined. I hope you'll agree to serve Shan as if he were me."

Zhao Yun held his fist in his opposite palm.

"Of course, my lord."

"And make sure to take care of Ma Yun Lu." Liu Bei added.

"You don't need to worry about me, my lord." Ma Yun Lu told him.

Liu Bei managed a smile before turning to Ma Chao.

"Ma Chao, your sense of justice is admirable. If only I had listened to you. Will you continue to serve Shu even though I've forgotten my virtues?"

Ma Chao bowed.

"Shu is still just and I fight for justice, not for virtues."

A chocking laugh came deep from inside Liu Bei's throat.

"Wei Yan, you and Zhuge Liang might not get along, but I trust you won't leave."

"Won't... leave... Lord... Liu... Bei." Wei Yan assured.

Liu Bei then turned to Jiang Wei.

"Help my son."

Jiang Wei bowed.

"Of course, my lord."

Liu Bei took in a few breaths then addressed Zhang Shao.

"You've always been a good friend to my son."

"I will continue to be and I will serve Shu."

"Huang Zhong, do I even need to say anything?"

"No, my lord."

Then Liu Bei turned toward her.

"Xing Cai, you were right about so many things. I hope that fate will balance all your pain."

She put her fist in her palm.

"Thank you, my lord. I shall continue to fight for Shu. I swear that the land will see your future vision of peace."

Liu Bei thanked her and addressed the generals' families.

"To all the families, you have my sincere thanks and gratitude. I know that you're the reason that my generals have been able to serve me so well."

All the family members bowed their heads. After that, everyone but Liu Shan was dismissed. They all went out into the hall. When Liu Shan came out, it would be because of Liu Bei's death.

Only the sobbing of the women could be heard. Xing Cai was the only woman who wasn't silently sobbing. The numbness was still a cloud over her. It sheltered her from hurt, but it also prevented any joy she might feel in the future.

No sound came from the room that all their attention was focused on.

Only an hour after they had been dismissed by Liu Bei for the final time, Liu Shan stepped out of the room. She could see that he was on the verge of crying, but he remained strong and told them that the lord who had brought them all together under one banner was now dead.

* * *

Yay! I got some reviews for the last chapter, please keep them coming! Special thanks to **everyone** who has reviewed my story or sent an email in a helpful and productive way!

Anyway, I'm not sure when my next update will be since I'm going home for the holidays and I don't have internet at my house. Yeah, I live in a hick town, but it will give me plently of time to write. I just won't be able to update right away.

Everyone have a safe and happy holiday season!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	27. Moving On

I'm baaaaackkkkk! Holy crap, it's almost been a full month since I've updated last! Sorry for making you all wait so long, but the internet connection at my house isn't the most reliable. Some days it works, the other six days of the week, it doesn't. With all my spare time during the break, I'm really close to finishing. Then I'll be able to start my next story. Yay!

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27. Moving On

Xing Cai had about just as much of funerals as she could take. All of Shu mopped around. It seemed like the future was dead. At least, Liu Bei was, but there was also Zhang Bao, Guan Xing, Guan Yu and Guan Ping on that list as well. Not to mention her own father as well and her child that no one had mourned for.

That night at dinner, it begun as the usual silent time when everyone ate their full, but it ended quite differently. Cai hadn't grown comfortable with the silence, but she wasn't sure what to think when Zhao Yun stood up to make some kind of speech.

"Shu has endured hard times. We've suffered many losses, but I think that the worst is over." Zhao Yun started.

Of course the worst was over! Nothing else could possibly happen to make things worse.

"Now we all have something to look forward to." Zhao Yun told them.

"And what's that, Yun?" Ma Chao interrupted.

"We can look forward to a new start and a new life. Yun Lu has told me that she is with child."

Zhang Xing Cai's eyes bulged. If the terrible green monster of jealously had hold of her before, it was nothing compared to now. Stupid Yun Lu! She had everything, everything Cai had ever wanted, almost had and then was denied.

The rest of the hall erupted into congratulations, but she remained silent. After a while she couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't hard to slip out of the hall unnoticed. She went to her new chambers and went to bed. Just when she was about to fall asleep, Zhang Xiao came into her room. She knew it was her sister by the way her feet dragged across the floor.

Cai moved over as Xiao got into her bed with her. Xiao found her hand and held it in hers.

"Cai, why did you leave dinner so suddenly?"

"I wasn't hungry."

"I may be blind, sister, but even I can see that you're lying. Please, tell me what's wrong." Her sister begged.

She didn't answer.

"Why are you so bitter?" Xiao continued.

Ugh, there was that word again, 'bitter'.

"Why do you think, Xiao?" She demanded with sarcasm in her voice. "I lost everything! I lost my fiancé, our brother, and my future father-in-law. Not only that, I watched all of them die!"

"Tell me."

Tears began flowing down her cheeks.

"I can still feel those rain drops on my face. I can still smell the blood and see their corpses." Her voice faded.

"Keep going." Xiao whispered.

She told her sister of the massacre. She told, in detail, everything she had seen and done. She didn't leave anything out, nothing. Xiao gave the shocked gasp she had expected from when she said;

"Then I told him; _'No Ping, you can't die. You know why? You're going to be a father now'_."

"Oh Cai!"

She sister wrapped her in a tight hug.

"Now I understand. You see all that you could have had in Ma Yun Lu. Don't hate her, Cai. She really is a good person. She could be a good friend."

x

"_You ha... have to go on... without me. Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."_

"_I promise."_

Cai woke up to Guan Ping's voice in her head. This must be her conscious getting her and it had done a really good job. What had happened? When she arrived at Chengdu after the walk, she had been on the road to recovery. She was determined to fight for the future no matter what. She had promised to Ping that she would continue with her life. She ways, but she knew that this wasn't what he meant. He wanted her to live happily. She had turned bitter. She put duty above anything else it a different way. She had let it turn her into something she wasn't.

She let out a sigh and got out of bed. There was no evidence that Xiao had come into her room at all. Only the memory of spilling everything reminded her that her secret child wasn't so secret anymore. She did feel better now that she had told someone. She felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Xiao was right, she hadn't given Ma Yun Lu a chance at all.

With her new and happier mindset, she stood up and put on one of her nicer dresses. When she stepped out of her room, she found that up until now, she had been the darkest thing about the castle. Fresh flowers were hung. The smell of the peach blossoms found its way to every corner of the castle.

These things made it easier to be in a good mood when she found the other women sitting around a tea table in the courtyard. They drank and watched as the generals spared. Normally, in this kind of situation, she would go and train with the generals. Today, she decided to sit with the women. At first, she wasn't sure if they would want her with them considering her behavior last night, but they had a chair brought for her as soon as they saw her coming.

That's when she realized exactly how good of friends they were to her. She had been ignoring them for the longest time. That was going to change.

None of them asked her why she had left the feast so early last night. Instead, they talked about baby names and other things that Cai really didn't have much experience with. It wasn't on purpose. She knew that. It could be expected that women would talk about baby names when one was coming.

"Zhao Yun said he wanted Ming for a girl and Ling for a boy," Ma Yun Lu told them all. "but I like Xiang and Song."

"Are you hoping for a boy or girl?" Yue Ying asked.

"I'd love a boy or a girl. It doesn't really matter to me."

"What about Zhao Yun?" Cai's mother asked.

"Of course he wants a boy." Yue Ying answered for Ma Yun Lu.

Yun Lu blushed.

"Actually, he said that he'd love to have a pretty little girl."

All the other women gave the classic 'Awwww'. The whine made Cai cringe. She refused to try and remember the names that she had even begun to consider for Guan Ping Jr. When it proved harder than she thought, she distracted herself by asking Yun Lu a question.

"Have you had any cravings?"

Yun Lu seemed touched by her consideration. It was only a question! Then again, the whole conversation had been about the baby. This was probably the first question she was asked about her own well-being.

"Not really, but I can't wait for when the peaches bloom."

The other women agreed. Cai had craved peaches too. Of course, she wasn't going to say that out loud. So she only nodded. She picked up a cup of tea and leaned back in her chair. She watched the men spar. Zhao Yun and Ma Chao were paired together. Both of them fought with spears now. Ma Chao had given up that gigantic sword of his a while ago. Wei Yan and Zhang Shao fought each other while Huang Zhong watched. The last pairing was Jiang Wei and Liu Shan, who was much more skilled with his long double edged sword than she remembered him being. Her eyes lingered on him more than anyone else.

After a few hours, Zhuge Liang came over to see them. She wasn't sure if she was still on bad terms with him or not. He hadn't dropped the slightest hint that he was going to play matchmaker since she came back from the dead. So she kept her face neutral. After all, how could he ever get on her good side if she never allowed him to?

"My ladies." He greeted.

"Master Zhuge Liang." They all responded in sync.

"Won't you join us?" Yue Ying requested.

"I'm sorry, but I can't. I only came over here to tell you and Xing Cai that we're going to have a war council in the dining hall after midday."

She nodded.

"Thank you for telling me, Zhuge Liang."

He nodded in response before turning and walking away.

That wasn't a positive response, but it wasn't a negative one either. So it was a step forward from before.

x

After the midday meal, the war council was assembled in the dining hall. So all the family members and anyone who wasn't a general or advisor, was asked to leave. Ma Yun Lu stayed, since technically, she was a fighter. No one questioned her staying. After all, she was the sister of one of the generals and wife to the strongest of them. Yue Ying also stayed, probably because she would follow Zhuge Liang wherever he went. She had also helped at the battle of Chibi and the escape from Changban, while Xing Cai was the one woman general. The three of them made up the women in the war council.

Zhuge Liang was the one to begin.

"As you all know, our forces have suffered a severe blow after the last battle."

Everyone nodded in acknowledgement.

"It is spring, so our supplies are low from the winter. We'll need to restock soon or we won't make it till the next harvest. Nanzhong is a fertile land in the far south. It's ruled by barbarians. With our machinery, it will be easy to take. They've never seen a ballista or a crossbow before."

"Are you sure that Nanzhong is the way to go? Wei is pushing south at our northern borders while Wu is coming from the east. Shouldn't we focus on defense?" Liu Shan asked.

"Wei isn't only coming at us, lord. After Yiling, Cao Cao doesn't think that we are much of a threat anymore. So he's going after Wu. They've already begun to do battle at Hefei. Sun Quan himself has joined them. Still, I would like to send a small force to capture Jieting while the rest of us march south. The only general guarding it is Zhang He. We don't have to worry about anyone coming at us from Mai castle." Zhuge Liang calmly explained before turning to Jiang Wei. "I'm going to place you in charge of making sure that no red uniform makes it past the rolling hills."

"Prime minister, how should I do that?"

"How would you?" His mentor tested.

Jiang Wei thought for a moment.

"Start with a process of elimination." Zhuge Liang guided.

"Burning the woods would only clear way for them. Using a rock slide will clear a path... Hmmmm... The floodgate! If they start marching towards us, we can flood Mai castle."

Zhuge Liang smiled.

"Very good."

Xing Cai thought for a moment. Zhuge Liang wanted to attack Jieting and Nanzhong at the same time? Their forces would be spread too thin.

"Master Zhuge Liang, marching north to Jieting and marching on a southern campaign... Forgive me, but we don't have the resources. We'd be spreading ourselves too thin." She told him.

"There is nothing to forgive, Xing Cai."

Ugh, she hated it when he talked down to her!

"I've seen this potential threat too. Ma Su, you shall lead the attack on Jieting. I've already laid out a strategy for you. All you have to do is follow it. Deng Zhi, Wang Ping, Zhang Xiu and Li Shang shall accompany you."

All of those were Shu's less important generals. Subordinates were the actual term. Either way, she didn't really know them.

"Now we need to figure out who's coming with to Nanzhong and who's staying to guard the castle." Zhuge Liang announced.

She was surprised that he hadn't taken the liberty to do that already. Considering what the other generals, the ones closer to Liu Bei, had just gone through... Wow, was Zhuge Liang showing consideration for them?

"I shall go with you, my husband." Yue Ying volunteered without hesitation.

Zhuge Liang gave her a grateful nod.

"So shall I!" Huang Zhong announced.

"With all do respect, Master Huang Zhong, I would like you to stay in Baidi." Zhuge Liang told him.

"Why? You'll need someone with my experience." Huang Zhong said, rather proudly.

"Exactly my point, general. Jiang Wei is bright, but he might need someone with as extensive experience as your own to help him if Wu would decide to try and cross the rolling hills."

Huang Zhong considered it for a moment.

"Alright."

Xing Cai smiled at how Zhuge Laing was able to use the old general's pride against him to get what he wanted. Zhuge Liang was smart. In fact, he was brilliant. She knew that, but she hadn't realized how smart he was when it came to people too, except when it came to love. Love wasn't something that he was that experienced with. He may have a wife of his own and all, but he was no matchmaker sent from the heavens.

"Me and my sister shall stay in Baidi." Zhang Shao announced.

She gave Shao a look.

"I'm ready to ride to battle." She argued.

No one said anything. She had to do this. She wouldn't be herself again until she rode into battle for Shu, at least once more.

"Cai..." Liu Shan started.

"No," She interrupted. "I shall ride to Nanzhong."

"Then I'll go too. Someone's got to watch you back." Zhao Yun reasoned.

"Yun." Ma Yun Lu silently wined.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go. Zhuge Liang will need an experienced general to carry out his strategies."

The general and the strategist gave each other a knowing nod. Ma Chao got to his feet.

"I'll go too. Zhuge Liang will need more than two generals."

"Then I'll also go." Ma Yun Lu announced.

Everyone stared at the woman with dumbfounded expressions. The fact that Shu had women fight on the battle field alone was strange, but a pregnant woman! It was unheard of. Then Cai remembered that she had been pregnant during the battle of Mai castle. So it had happened before, but it was still unheard of for the rest of the world.

She was about to speak out against it, but then realized she would be a hypocrite to do so. Her past decisions would only allow her to support Ma Yun Lu. However, she didn't exactly have a choice when it came to fighting or not fighting. On top of that, she didn't know she was with child when she left for Mai castle in the first place. Yun Lu did and this wasn't just a battle, this was a campaign, a campaign into savage country none the less. They would be miles from the nearest doctor or physician if something went wrong. That is, unless Hua Tuo agreed to come with them. He had arrived just as Liu Bei had. He was still here last she heard of.

Cai couldn't get herself to support Yun Lu. There was just too much at stake. She knew first hand, but Yun Lu didn't appear to need any help.

"Both men in my life are riding south. Neither one of you can expect me to just sit around and do nothing." She told them.

After a few more minutes of arguing between husband and wife and brother and sister, Ma Yun Lu secured her spot in the ranks of those marching south. When the meeting was over, she heard Zhao Yun quietly request to Zhuge Liang that Yun Lu be placed in charge of guarding the camp. He agreed.

Cai didn't fight for Yun Lu, nor did she recommend that she stay behind. She thought it was better if Yun Lu stayed in the camp. So she didn't say anything and fell in with the other generals that were leaving the dining hall.

x

Ma Su, Deng Zhi, Wang Ping, Zhang Xiu and Li Shang were the generals that made up the war party that would capture Jieting. They moved out within the next few days. Zhuge Laing, Yue Ying, Wei Yan, Ma Chao, Ma Yun Lu, Zhao Yun and Zhang Xing Cai were the ones that would go south to invade Nanzhong.

Zhang Xiao and her mother protested against her leaving. She told them that she had to do this. There were two halves of her that needed to be healed, the woman in her and the soldier in her. The woman was healed. The star shined brightly. Now she needed to become the soldier she used to be. She needed her glory returned to her. It wouldn't be handed to her. She had to go and find it and she knew it was hidden out there someone on the battle field. Maybe the redemption she sought wasn't in Nanzhong. There would be plenty of battles to follow it, but it was as good of a place to start looking as any.

Her mother and Xiao weren't the only ones to protest her departure. Liu Shan tried to talk her out of going, multiple times.

"You can't go. Cai, listen to me. Would you just... Cai, stop and listen to me!" He insisted.

She stopped shoving her clothes into her large travel sack and turned to face him.

"What!"

She had finally had enough of his unending babbling. This had gone on for a while now and she was sick of it. How was she supposed to run through her list of things to pack when she couldn't even hear herself think?

"I don't want you to go." He told her.

"Shan, I appreciate the concern, but I'm going. Shu needs me."

He didn't look convinced.

"Don't worry, I'll be with Zhao Yun and Ma Chao. Not to mention we'll have Zhuge Liang's strategies. These are barbarians, not trained soldiers." She added.

"Cai, I just... I don't want..." He stumbled for words.

"What? Out with it!"

Before she realized what he took that to mean, he was upon her. He took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. She put her hands on his chest and gave him a powerful shove. He stumbled back until he was against the wall next to the door. He looked at her with a halfway shocked expression. The other half of him must have known that he deserved it.

"Don't." She told him.

Then she turned and picked up her sack. She threw it over her shoulder and headed for the door. She opened it and paused. Since Shan was right next to her, she whispered;

"Leave me alone."

Her voice had sounded more weak and vulnerable than the meant it too, but at least she still got the message across to him. She went down the halls and into the courtyard. She didn't have a horse anymore, so she would be riding in a carriage with Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying and Ma Yun Lu. Ugh, it was going to be a long journey.

* * *

Yes, I know that Zhao Yun was probably dead by now and Ma Chao didn't help at Nanzhong, but that's not the point!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! You're awesome!


	28. The Invasion of Nanzhong

Arg! Christmas vacation is already over. I did finish chapter twenty nine, I just need to finish profreading it. So I'll have it up pretty soon.

Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

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28. The Invasion of Nanzhong

It had taken everyone two months to get ready to leave for Nanzhong. It took another week to get to the camp that had taken a month for the soldiers that moved ahead to build. The extreme heat didn't help them make good time either. The further south they had come, the hotter and stickier the air was.

As it turns out, everything in Nanzhong was green, with the exception of the tree bark, of course. Even then, moss grew up the sides of the trees. That left the sky being the only non-green thing at all. It was grey with rain clouds. So that fact wasn't particularly comforting.

Who would have known that it rained so much in the jungle? Thunderstorms weren't uncommon at night. It usually rained right in the middle of the night just when she had fallen asleep. She wasn't the only one wakened by it. The hardships and lack of sleep showed on everyone's face, except for Ma Yun Lu that is. She was cheerful regardless of everyone's misery and her own pregnancy.

The camp that had been started was simply a mass of tents. It was better than nothing, but there was still a lot of work to be done. They started by building the stable tent sense they needed to keep the horses dry. They also built a wood floor for the horses since if would be bad for their hooves to stand in the mud for too long. However, a few of them still went lame. So they had to get the blacksmith to pull their iron shoes. After a few days, the horses recovered and they had them shod again.

The second most important thing was to have some pens built for the cows and goats they had brought as a source of food. The pens ended up being made of trees they had to cut down. They weren't the kind of pens a farmer would be proud of, but they would work, even if they didn't have any gates. People would have to go between the rails or over the fence altogether.

Then they made the larger tents for the generals. Zhao Yun, Ma Chao and Wei Yan shared a tent. Zhuge Liang and Yue Ying had a tent of their own. It was strange since a man and wife didn't normally share a tent during a campaign, but no one questioned it. This left Xing Cai and Ma Yun Lu to share the third tent. Yun Lu had just less than five months to go. In this stage of the pregnancy, she was supposed to be crabby with unpredictable mood swings. No one must have told her that because she was still the same quiet, sweet Yun Lu everyone knew her to be. So it wasn't hard to share a tent with her.

After a few days, their camp looked like a small village. It was as good as. They had everything. Now all they needed to do was get the army ready. That was easier said than done. It didn't help that a few of the barbarians would sneak into their camp and try to steal supplies every once in a while. Zhuge Liang had anticipated this, of course, and had a constant patrol circling the camp made of mounted archers. When they still couldn't do the job, Zhuge Liang ordered a wall to be built. It wasn't much, just a line up of cut down trees, but when they added archer towers to the four corners, the barbarians ceased coming.

By the time they organized and prepared to march on the barbarians' camp, they had been there for nearly five weeks. It wasn't until now that she realized how much preparation a campaign took. She had thought that most of it would have been actually doing something, but most of it was just planning.

She managed to keep morale up with merely her presence. After all, if the general who lost everything was still willing to fight, then why not the soldiers?

x

The first day of the battle came. Both the Shu and the Nanman armies meet on an open field. From Shu, there were Zhao Yun, Wei Yan, Xing Cai and Zhuge Liang, who directed the battle from the back lines. From Nanzhong was only Meng Huo, the Nanman king that united the tribes of Nanzhong against them.

"Ha! He's going to need more than just himself to fight us off." She stated.

Zhuge Liang nodded.

"Yes, but don't forget. There are many different Nanman tribes. Meng Huo is sure to call on them for help. Even if we win today, his extreme sense of pride won't let him surrender. I have a plan. Zhao Yun, go and tear through his ranks. Wei Yan, I want you to capture the king."

"Whhhhyyyy?" Wei Yan moaned.

"Because it is necessary for my plan. Bring him to me alive and unharmed."

"Fiinnneeee."

Zhao Yun turned his grey stallion around and rode to the vanguard. Wei Yan followed on foot.

"Xing Cai, make sure that Wei Yan doesn't kill Meng Huo."

She rolled her eyes.

"Your plan doesn't make sense to me, but you're the boss."

She picked up her spear and followed in Wei Yan's tracks.

Back in Baidi, she had bought a double headed spear similar to Zhao Yun's. She had tried to train with a battle fork again, but found that she just couldn't. So she trained with a spear and she fought with a spear now. She hadn't found a shield that could have replaced her old one. So all she had was the spear. Now she would be faster and more agile since she didn't have to lug around that heavy shield. She attacks would be harder since she could use both hands. So she was probably better off.

She went to Zhao Yun's side as he rallied the troops.

"Forward! Attack with the power of the dragon and the swiftness of the eagle!"

They charged. Zhao Yun and the cavalry easily made their way to the front. If this had been a naval battle, the wind would have been on their side. However, it still gave them an extra boost of momentum. After all, they were running with the wind while Meng Huo was running against it and he didn't have a cavalry.

The two forces meet in a clash of flesh and steel. Shu's steel and Nanzhong's flesh to be more specific. The Nanman fighters didn't wear armor. Their dark chests were exposed to any and every attack. They might think it was a sign of bravery or something, but it only made them easier to kill. It also made for a bloody battle. Normally, armor would contain the flow of blood after a strike. Since they didn't have any, it was free to splatter everywhere. This battle reminded her of the battle of Mai castle. It was horribly bloody. Bloody, but quick, unlike at Mai castle.

Her new spear suited her very well. Not only could she stab like before, but she would also swing and slash it. It was so much more versatile than her fork. The iron made for a strong shaft that she could use to block swords and other blades. Her only concern was her hands. One of the blades might hit them. Lucky for her, Zhao Yun foresaw this problem and had the blacksmith make some armored gloves for her, much like his own. The only real difference was that they were white and lined with black and green, like new armor.

Her new armor consisted of silver steel plate shoulder pads, breast plate, knee and shin plates. Underneath it she wore a mint green dress that cut off above the knees and had slits on either hip. She also wore thigh high stockings to cover her legs.

She looked ahead and saw Wei Yan dueling with the man who must be the Nanman king, Meng Huo. His dark colored body was massive. His arms alone were bigger than her. The strangest thing about him was that he fought with a strange kind stone pillar with a dragon on it. He swung it as if it was some kind of a club, but it was no match for Wei Yan. Wei Yan's spiked club shattered it to a thousand pebbles. The Nanman king was thrown back from the force of the blow.

"This...isn't happening..." The king said to himself.

Wei Yan raised his club for the smashing kill, but she stopped him.

"Wei Yan, stop! Remember what Zhuge Liang said?"

Wei Yan let out a groan. He dropped his club, which landed with a loud crash, and grabbed Meng Huo by one of the horns that decorated his bracers and dragged him across the battle field. Xing Cai jogged to keep up. She hadn't guessed that Wei Yan was as strong as he was. She was impressed that he dragged the barbarian king all the way over to where Zhuge Liang stood.

"Heerrreee!" Wei Yan shouted as he left Meng Huo at Zhuge Liang's feet before turning and leaving in a huff.

Meng Huo started shouting the kinds of things that could be expected from a barbarian. It made her eyes go wide, but Zhuge Liang didn't appear to be bothered at all by it. He quite calmly replied;

"Meng Huo, will you join us?"

What happened next shocked her. The king jumped to his feet and ran back to the direction of his camp without a word. Coward!

"Don't let him get away!" She shouted.

"No, let him go." Zhuge Liang belayed.

"What?"

She spun around to face the strategist.

"The Nanman people have a strong bond. It's as if they are one big family. They believe that with their strength and Meng Huo leading them, they can fight us off. If we don't let them realize that they're wrong, we'll just have to conquer every single tribe. We don't have time for that."

She didn't understand and told him so.

"If we keep capturing Meng Huo and releasing him, he'll realize that he'll get killed before he beats us back. When he submits, the other tribes will too."

"Oh, I get it. That makes sense now, but how many times will it take for Meng Huo to give in?"

"Probably more than I'd like to admit."

She wasn't encouraged by that answer, but Zhuge Liang did come up with a good plan. Besides, she was the soldier, not the strategist, so she did her role and continued to fight.

x

After the clean up was done, she was exhausted. The combination of extreme heat and heavy armor didn't help. When she got back to camp, she went into her tent right away to change. Yun Lu wasn't there. She would probably be back when she was done helping with whatever it was she could find to help with.

Cai dragged her armor off and peeled the clothing off her skin she had worn underneath. It was wet and stinky. No surprise there. So, after putting on a fresh dress, she took her clothes out to the nearby river and submerged them a few times. The dirt and sweat cleaned off easier than the blood did. Then she squeezed and twisted them as dry as she could get, which still wasn't very dry. At least they weren't dripping wet anymore. Then she went back to her tent and hung them on the line Yun Lu had put up for their laundry.

It took things a long time to dry here. So she couldn't expect them to dry until morning.

By now it was sundown. This is when the cooks had some sort of excuse for food ready to be served. So she went to get some.

The mass tent was also the training tent. They had to build a training tent so the soldiers could practice without being rained out. Of course, this meant that their meals usually had to be eaten on the ground. She heard that some of the soldiers got sick of it and brought in some logs to sit on. They had lined the logs around the inside of the tent's edge so that they could be used sit on and still be out of the way for when they trained.

Once she got her fair serving of rice with some kind of salty sauce, she went back to her tent. It was better than eating in the mess tent. When she finished, she return her bowl to the cooks. When she returned, she found that Zhuge Liang's tent, the biggest of them all, had a fire going inside it. If she didn't see Ma Chao step inside, she wouldn't have either.

The heavenly smell of fresh tea hit her. Yue Ying had gotten her hands on some and apparently invited all the generals to have some. Wei Yan didn't drink tea, so he wasn't there.

She graciously accepted her cup and went to find a place to sit and enjoy it. Zhuge Liang's tent was like a small sized house, it had the bed in one corner, a desk with maps and paper surrounding it in another, a sitting area and a fire place in the middle. Zhao Yun, Ma Chao and Ma Yun Lu all sat on one of the couches in front of the fire. Zhuge Liang had pulled a chair in front of the flames. Yue Ying kneeled in front of the fire as she continued caring for the tea pot.

Cai grabbed a spare chair and also moved it in front of the fire.

"What's you plan for tomorrow, Zhuge Liang?" Zhao Yun asked.

"Tomorrow we shall have some scouts follow the direction Meng Huo ran."

"You let him go so that you could follow him to his secret camp." She realized.

Zhuge Liang smiled and nodded his head.

"Yes. You're really beginning to pay attention to details."

She smiled and blushed a little at the unexpected compliment.

"I try to."

The conversation continued on to the plans for tomorrow in greater detail. Zhuge Liang would have Ma Chao travel up river to see what he could find there. Zhao Yun would go down river. That way, they could get a better feel for their surroundings. After that, they would march across the river to an open field that Zhuge Liang had chosen as the spot for their next battle.

By then, Cai was tired and excused herself to retire.


	29. Seven Catches and Six Releases

29. Seven Catches and Six Releases

The next morning, everyone was preparing for another battle. Zhang Xing Cai had been up at first light to receive orders from Zhuge Liang. As they were told last night, Ma Chao would ride up river and Zhao Yun would go down river.

"But Master Zhuge Liang, having our generals go out as scouts would endanger them both. Wouldn't it make more sense for the scouts to go scouting? They've been trained to be stealthy and all that." Ma Yun Lu pleaded.

Cai didn't add anything. Instead, she waited quietly for Zhuge Liang to answer.

"It might, but Ma Chao and Zhao Yun aren't just going on a hunting party. This is Hanzhong after all. They will more than likely run into some Nanmans."

Yun Lu nodded, sadly.

"Xing Cai, would you mind staying behind? I would like you to temporarily act as Yun Lu's personal guard."

"Of course, Master Zhuge Liang."

She knew that he was only doing that to make it easier for Zhao Yun to leave Yun Lu behind. Oh well. Now she was getting along with Yun Lu, she wouldn't mind it as much.

x

Although she was supposed to be Yun Lu's guard, more like officially ordered to be friend when no one else wanted to deal with her mood swings, she decided that she would make sure that Zhao Yun and Ma Chao were ready to depart. She found Zhao Yun and Yun Lu discussing something in his tent. She figured that it was a private conversation and that she shouldn't intrude. So she didn't. Instead, she went out to the stable tent to find Ma Chao shoeing his white stallion. He held the stallion's hoof up with one hand. With the other, he pounded the nails through the shoe and into the hoof itself. He used three nails on either side of the shoe. That added up to six square nails per hoof, twenty four total.

When he finished pounding in the latest nail, he reached for the next one, that's when he saw her standing there.

"Xing Cai, is there something you need help with?" He asked as he let his stallion's hoof go.

Then he stood up straight and stretched his back.

"It looks like you need the help." She stated.

He smiled and let a chuckle escape him. Then he patted his stallion on the withers.

"Are you offering help?"

She nodded.

"Then could I have you hold his hoof up while I pound the nails?"

"Sure."

She moved over to the hoof that Ma Chao had left off on and ran her hand down the stallion's leg. The stallion picked up his hoof. She kneeled down and rested the hoof on her thigh. Ma Chao kneeled next to her and continued pounding with hammer.

Then they moved on to the next hoof and the next and finally, the last one. When they were done, they were both sweating slightly and stiff. The shoeing had taken the highest toll on their backs. Kneeling that low while holding that much weight was never easy.

Ma Chao walked around his horse as he examined the job he had done with the shoeing.

"How does it look?" She asked him, hoping that they were done.

"Fine, I just wanted to get some new shoes on him." Ma Chao answered as he gave his stallion a final pat on the neck.

"Good, is there anything else you need some help with, preferably not shoeing?"

Ma Chao laughed.

"If you wanted, you could help me saddle up."

"Okay."

x

Meng Huo's first catch my have been easy, but his second didn't require any work at all. He had poisoned the river that the Shu army would have had to cross for the second battle. They would have fallen for the trap, but Ma Chao found the source of Meng Huo's supply route. So they went there for the supplies instead of where they were going to meet for the second battle.

Meng Huo's men were so discouraged by the loss of supply base that they betrayed their king and handed him over to Zhuge Liang. The Sleeping Dragon's plan was already working. The only bad part was that everything by the river stunk for days. Otherwise, it couldn't have gone better if they planed it to.

However, Cai became worried once again when Zhuge Liang gave Meng Huo a tour of their camp! She knew he had a plan and all, but what was he thinking!

At the present time, Cai was with Yun Lu whose morning sickness had kicked up to the next level thanks to the stench of the poison. She gave her friend a few heavy pats on the back to help her chook up what was left of her previous dinner. When she was done, she sat up and wiped her mouth dry.

"Oh Cai, I'm so sorry that I've put you through this."

Cai smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about it, I understand."

However, little did Ma Yun Lu know how well Xing Cai actually did understand her condition.

"We just have to be ready to leave soon." She finished.

"Leave?" Yun Lu asked.

Cai nodded.

"Zhuge Liang says that we have to be ready to leave as soon as he gives the order to. After he gave Meng Huo a tour of the camp, I don't think anyone's wondering why."

x

When Meng Huo returned, he charged their camp, only to find it empty. As they searched for any signs of an ambush, they fell into pits the Shu soldiers had dug a few hours earlier.

After being captured once again, he still didn't give in. So Zhuge Liang let him go yet again. The pattern then repeated itself again and again.

After being captured and released for a total of six times, Meng Huo became desperate and pulled out his 'secret weapon'. That secret weapon was a batch of fighters with 'indestructible' armor.

"Ha! I bet that armor can't protect them from fire." Ma Chao mocked.

Zhuge Liang smiled. He had them set out explosives that would burst into flames if anyone stepped on them. It was Xing Cai's, Yue Ying's and Ma Yun Lu's job to do it. It was hard work, but it was the easiest work they could find for Yun Lu since she refused to 'sit around and do nothing' even though her baby might come within the next week or two.

So far, Xing Cai had taken part in every charge. This was no exception. She felt as if she as apart of Shu again and she didn't want to miss anything. These feelings made her glad she came all the way here. It was exactly what she had being hoping she would find here.

This was the seventh charge. If Meng Huo didn't surrender now, he never would. All the other tribes' kings were dead. He should have admitted defeat already, but he hadn't. He would now for he had just entered into the field where she and the other two ladies had placed the mines. At first, they had spaced them out. Then as Meng Huo would move closer to them, they placed them tighter together. Zhuge Liang had them do it that way so they would travel as far into the field as they possibly could before the mines started going off. That way, the mines would take out more than just the vanguard.

The Nanmans were halfway through the field when the first explosion erupted. They were too deep into the field to turn and run. So they could only continue charging toward the still Shu force.

"When will we charge?" Zhao Yun asked.

"When all the explosives have gone off." Zhuge Liang answered.

"How many are there?"

"A dozen." Cai answered.

One had already gone off. Oh! That made two. Three. Now four! Hahaha!

Two violent eruptions of fire happened at once on either side of the Nanman's vanguard. Five, six. They only had a quarter of the way through the field to go now. Just as they recovered from the two that went at once, the remaining six all went off. The six had been placed in a straight line to make a wall to halt their charge dead in their tracks, literally. That way, Shu would have the momentum of the charge.

"CHARGE!" Zhao Yun and Ma Chao shouted at the same time.

The heavy and light infantry crashed into the front of the Meng Huo's army. Shu's cavalry rode around and attacked from the back. They had the barbarians pinched between them.

Cai swung her spear back and forth. She blocked and attacked with speed and precision, just as Zhao Yun had taught her to.

Zhao Yun and Ma Chao were a short distance away on their horses. Ma Chao had led the cavalry around the Nanman force. So him being here must mean that the cavalry had already made it through. Wow, that didn't take long.

x

When Meng Huo was captured for the seventh time, he surrendered and vowed his allegiance to Shu. It had been quite a scene to witness.

"I don't care what you think! My people will never submit to you!" Meng Huo shouted as he plopped himself down on the ground.

He crossed his arms and pouted, resembling a small child. Zhuge Liang only shook his head.

"It is not you submission that we seek. Will you help us to create a brand new empire?"

The strategist waved his feathered fan to gesture toward the north.

* * *

Okay, yeah. I got tired of the whole Nanzhong battle pretty quick. I never liked it, but I do admit that Zhuge Liang was an absolute genius, other than the fact that he showed Meng Huo the Shu camp! If it weren't for the info he got from Meng Huo's brother, that could have cost him the battle. Personally, I think that he just got lucky there.


	30. Together

30. Together

Now that Nanzhong belonged to Shu, the fighting was over. On top of that, the meals would become much better and more plentiful. Zhang Xing Cai was glad that the battles were finally over. Not one of them had been particularly difficult to win, but seven battles in a row had taken a toll on them all. However, the campaign was a complete success.

She and the other generals, plus the very pregnant Ma Yun Lu, went to Zhuge Liang's tent to celebrate. She and Yun Lu had a cup of tea while the others drank a sour smelling red wine. Things were only made better when a messenger came to bring them some letters that had been sent from Baidi. Zhuge Liang must have gotten a letter from everyone there, including his son, Zhuge Zhan who had recently gone there. Zhao Yun and Yun Lu got a letter from Liu Shan wishing them the best. Cai got a letter from her family and one from Liu Shan. She sat down on one of Zhuge Liang's spare chairs and read them, starting with the one from her family.

_My Dear Xing Cai,_

_We have heard that you've beaten Meng Huo and that Zhuge Liang let him go. Liu Shan and Jiang Wei assured us that it is part of Zhuge Liang's plan, so we will try to not worry too much. _

_Everything here is going fine. We hope things are going well for you. Everyone here misses you. Liu Shan, Jiang Wei and Zhang Shao spend most of their time with the council and the politicians. I think that the three of them will take Shu far. _

_Shao and Xiao told me to give you their love. I love you so much. Please return when you can._

_Mother_

Cai smiled as she lowered the letter to her lap and picked up Shan's. She wasn't sure how to feel about getting a letter from Shan. Then again, he was her new lord. She quickly read it before she had to great of a chance to think about it too much.

_Xing Cai,_

Why didn't he call her 'Zhang Xing Cai'? He should include her family name since she wasn't really related to him. Their fathers' sworn brotherhood didn't count as a relation. She shook it off and kept reading.

_I'm sorry for my behavior back in your chambers._

As he should be.

_I hope you can forgive me._

Maybe she could. It depended how their reunion would go when she eventually got back to Baidi Castle.

_Anyway, I heard things in Nanzhong are going well. That's good since things at Jieting aren't. Ma Su isn't listening to Zhuge Liang's instructions. So Jiang Wei is going to go and try to salvage the situation there. _

Why wouldn't Ma Su listen to Zhuge Liang? Was he trying to prove something? If he was, now wasn't the time. Shu was still relatively weak when compared to Wei. He should obey Zhuge Liang's orders and secure the victory. When Shu was stronger, then he could go out and prove his worth.

_I miss you so much and I can't wait to be together with you again. Xing Cai, please hurry back to Baidi as soon as you can._

... Her mind went blank.

_Yours always,_

_Liu Shan_

Then her mind began to rush from one emotion to the next without giving her time to think about any of them decently.

She threw the letter down in frustration. Who did Liu Shan think he was? He may be the emperor of Shu Han now, but he wasn't more than a friend to her, an ambitious and hopeful friend anyway. He was persistent, she would give him credit for that, but that's all she would give him points for.

Was he seriously trying to court her? Did he not understand that just because she was recovering from the past, it didn't mean that she was ready for or wanting something like this?

"Not what you were hoping for?"

She was snapped out of her thoughts by Yun Lu.

"What?"

"The letter, was it not what you were hoping to hear from your family?" Yun Lu repeated as she took a seat next to her.

"Oh… no. It's from Lord Liu Shan."

She made sure to include the word 'lord' in her sentence she that Yun Lu wouldn't suspect it was such a personal letter as it was and more business like.

"And what did Shan say?"

She didn't want to lie to Yun Lu. The woman had always been kind to her, but she didn't exactly want to tell her about Liu Shan's behavior toward her either. So she only said what Liu Shan wrote about Ma Su.

"Oh." Yun Lu's face looked disappointed. "I expected him to write something a little more... emotional."

When she didn't respond, Yun Lu continued, making her shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"He has feelings for you you know. I can see it on his face whenever he looks at you. At the feast celebrating your return, he couldn't take his eyes off you. I don't mean to tell you what you should do, but love doesn't come often and you should embrace it when it does."

They both looked over at Zhao Yun. Yun Lu's voice had been low enough that it could only be heard by the two of them. Little did the woman know that she did have love and little did she know just how much Cai had embraced it. That seemed like a whole lifetime ago, even though her life was barely half over. This was the second part of her life, but it seemed like a whole new life altogether. At least, it would be if the same people weren't in it.

"Yun Lu, you've been a good friend to be and I appreciate that, but..." She paused to let a like strength return to her weakening voice. "I... I don't think that there can be anything between me and Shan in the future."

"Because of your fiancé?"

A lump formed in her throat, but she didn't let any emotion show. Yun Lu mustn't have known Guan Ping's name or else she would have said it.

"That too," She confirmed. "but my sister, Zhang Xiao, has feelings for Liu Shan. I couldn't do that to her. Besides, Liu Shan deserves someone better than me anyway."

Yun Lu clearly didn't understand.

"Better? What do you mean 'better'?"

"Untouched." She very quietly clarified.

She had expected Yun Lu to give her a look of disgust and shack her head in disapproval, but she didn't.

"Oh... I understand, but if he does love you, he won't care, especially since you were engaged."

She looked up at Yun Lu's serious expression.

"I don't think so." She told Yun Lu.

"Zhao Yun didn't."

"You?" Cai asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

Yun Lu nodded.

"Yes. When we first met at Hanzhong, my brother had me meet him there. I knew that Yun liked me. Of course, he was too shy to say anything. When we returned to Chengdu and heard about you and the others... he came to me and told me how he felt. He said that the thought of him or me dying without our feelings for each other being made clear was unbearable. He asked me to marry him and I told him about my former husband. He said he didn't care so I said 'yes' to his proposal. Sure he didn't like it that I had been married before, but we've all got our share of problems."

She smiled, slightly.

"Thanks, Ma Yun Lu."

Yun Lu gave her a gracious and encouraging smile.

x

The next day, Meng Huo and Zhuge Liang discussed the terms of his surrender. For protection's sake, Zhuge Liang had Zhao Yun and Ma Chao go with him to act as bodyguards. Yue Ying also went. Wei Yan was somewhere around, but he wasn't to be found. This left Yun Lu and Xing Cai to themselves. Cai had wanted to rest since she was still a bit weary from the battle. Yun Lu wanted to go out and see what the Nanman people were like.

She only agreed to go because she didn't want to argue with Yun Lu. Her strongest point would have been that the baby should be coming any day now. That argument didn't happen however and right now they were walking through one of the villages that had been a short walk away. At Zhao Yun's request, five bodyguards came with them.

What they saw at the village, she would never forget. There were men with tigers walking beside them. Elephants were ridden as horses were. Jewelers made necklaces with teeth and colorful beads carved of wood. There were also articles of clothing made from spotted and striped hides.

Yun Lu bought some tiger hides to use as rugs and blankets in the house she was planning to live in once the war was over. The tiger hides were appropriate since Zhao Yun was one of the tiger generals of Shu. There had only been five tiger generals, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Huang Zhong, Zhang Fei and Guan Yu. Now there were only three.

Cai bought a tooth necklace for Zhang Shao and she got a bead necklace for her mother and for Zhang Xiao. She thought that they would appreciate them.

When they returned to the camp, Cai prepared to send a letter with the gifts. She wrote;

_Dear Mother, Shao and Xiao_

_By now I'm sure you've heard of our victory. Zhuge Liang's strategies led us to our triumph with as little vitalities as possible. _

_These are some things I bought when Ma Yun Lu and I visited a native village. They have tigers and elephants as pets like we have birds and horses. For you mother, I got you a necklace that the Nanman people make with painted wood beads. Shao, your necklace is made with a tiger's tooth. Xiao, your gift is also a necklace made of wood beads. It is the color of the sun. I hope you like it. _

_Ma Yun Lu is going to have her baby any day now, but she's not slowing down at all. She's energetic and sweet as ever. However, that only makes Zhao Yun that much more anxious. _

_I love you all so much and I'll be back soon._

_Love,_

_Xing Cai_

She put the gifts in a small package and slipped the letter inside. Then she carried it to the nearest postal rider she could find and asked him to take it to Baidi Castle. Then, finally, she went to bed. Yun Lu may be the pregnant one, but Cai was the tired one.

x

In a dizzying whirl of darkness somewhere between a dream and the jungle, Cai was woken up from her sleep to the sound of a loud scream. She launched out of bed and leaped to her feet only to find that she was intricately tangling inside her sheets. She landed flat on her face, at least she would have if her hands didn't somehow end up underneath her to catch her.

Then there was another bloodcurdling scream. Cai untangled herself and lunged for her spear. She should have known that those barbarian savages would attack the camp in the middle of the night when they were all asleep. Couldn't they give up after seven defeats!

She ran toward the flap of the tent and opened it to find that absolutely nothing was out of the ordinary. Huh?

"CAI!"

She spun around.

"CAI!"

Ma Yun Lu was sitting up in her bed. Her round belly was huge. Her brow was streaming with sweat. Oh no.

Cai dropped her spear and rushed to Yun Lu's side.

"It's okay, Yun Lu!"

"How… is it… OKAY!"

She heard some noise. She turned around and saw a group of soldiers. Yue Ying pushed her way through them and came in the tent. When she saw what was happening, she turned back toward the gathering soldiers.

"What's wrong with you? Don't you have any decency!" She shouted at the soldiers as she pulled the flap of the tent closed.

"Thank the heavens!" Cai cried as Yue Ying made her way over to them.

Yue Ying had had a child before. So that had to mean that she knew what to do. Right?

x

That night, Cai had listened to enough screaming that she was sure she was going to have permanent ear damage.

Outside, Zhao Yun had been pacing back and forth and back and forth so many times that he must be getting himself dizzy. That, or his feet must be blistering. Ma Chao was sitting on a crate in a stressed position. He had his elbows on his knees, his chin on his knuckles and a deep crease on his brow. Zhuge Liang stood calmly as he fanned himself with his feathered fan.

Back inside the tent, Xing Cai sat next to Ma Yun Lu on the bed. Yun Lu leaned against her with her head against Cai's shoulder. She was grasping Cai's hand tighter and tighter until both their knuckles were numb. Yue Ying sat at the foot of the bed doing the midwife's work. Yun Lu screamed out as Cai frantically tried to soothe her.

Then, there was a moment of silence. Everyone everywhere froze. Then a loud whining cry rang out. Yue Ying smiled.

"It's a boy!"

Yue Ying held up the bundle and brought it over to them. Yun Lu took the child and held him close to her. The boy had slightly tan skin with fuzzy dark hair and dark brown eyes, Zhao Yun's eyes.

Cai could hardly believe it. It was all so wonderful, truly a blessing from the heavens. She was overwhelmed by how something so beautiful could come in the middle of a bloody campaign.

Yue Ying stepped out of the tent to make the announcement. There was a loud shout, and then there was a whole eruption of cheers.

"Thank you, Cai." Yun Lu whispered.

Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Yue Ying and Zhuge Liang all came in. All of them, save Zhao Yun, had a broad smile. Zhao Yun had a look on his face she had never seen before. It was a mixture of shock, fear, and joy all in one. Ma Yun Lu seemed to glow, even more so than she normally did. Her glow only brightened when she handed the baby to Zhao Yun and watched him hold his son.

"Have you decided on the name?" Zhuge Liang asked.

"Either Zhao Ling or Zhao Song." Yun Lu stated.

"Song?" Ma Chao asked with raised eyebrows. "I don't a nephew named 'Song'."

"It's not really your decision." Yun Lu shot back with a playful grin. "After all, I was the one to do all the work. I think that I have the right to name him."

"Who do you think it was to keep Zhao Yun calm?"

"You'd call that calm?"

"Actually, I have an idea." Cai announced.

Everyone turned to face her. That was the first time she had seen the two siblings fight. Of course, she couldn't really call that a fight. Rather a duel of rights, the right to name the boy. It was hilarious. So she almost regretted breaking it up.

"I thought that Zhao Tong would be good. After all, Tong means 'together' and he was the one to bring Shu back together after everything that happened." She explained.

Yun Lu, who was no longer leaning on her for support, gave her a meaningful look.

"We'd be honored."

x

Word soon spread of the birth of Zhao Yun's son, Zhao Tong. Not that there was any way they could have kept it a secret even if they wanted to. Everyone seemed to understand the reason for his name. Morale was left higher than she ever remembered it being before. Everybody in Shu had a spring in their step and a smile on their face.

Zhang Xing Cai was the first one to hold Zhao Yong that wasn't directly related to him. She was honored by it. She was glad that she and Yun Lu shared a tent during the day, because that meant that she got to hold Tong often. At night, that was a different story. Tong didn't sleep for more than two hours at a time. However, contrary to popular belief, Cai really didn't mind it, even if lack of sleep was starting to show in her training. She was so happy for Yun Lu that any jealously that might still be left over was swallowed up by her happiness for her friend.

After a week, Zhuge Liang decided that Zhao Yun would take Ma Yun Lu and Zhao Tong back to Baidi. Ma Chao was to go with. Then after they caught up with everyone there, they would continue on to Luo castle and take over the defenses there. Except for Ma Chao, who was to stay at Baidi.

It was the night before Zhao Yun, Zhao Tong, Ma Yun Lu and Ma Chao left. Xing Cai was holding Tong as she sat on her bed. Yun Lu was busy packing. It was almost an awkward moment because, for night now anyway, Tong was quietly resting.

"Xing Cai, this is a strange question to ask, but... how long have you known Zhao Yun?"

She looked up at her friend and gave her a curious look.

"Why?"

Yun Lu shrugged.

"A lot of people have been saying that Tong is the exact opposite of his father. I just wanted to know if it was true or not."

"Well, I didn't exactly know Zhao Yun when he was a baby." She pointed out. "I first met him when I was ten. He had already saved Liu Shan at that point in time. He started teaching me to fight when I was thirteen. He's always been quiet and reserved as long as I've known him."

"And Tong isn't exactly what I'd call quiet and reserved." Yun Lu added with a grin.

"Exactly." She agreed.

They both laughed.

* * *

Tong really does mean 'together' and Zhao Yun's first son was named Zhao Tong. These facts just worked well with my story. So, I'm pretty sure how this story will end and I will have some Cao Pi and Xing Cai action. Plus, Sun Quan will be back.


	31. The Battle of the Wuzhang Plains

31. The Battle of the Wuzhang Plains

Now it was only her, Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying and Wei Yan, who she really hadn't seen much of at Nanzhong. The days dragged by, but it was nice to have the tent all to herself. It didn't help with the loneliness factor. The letters from Liu Shan only made it that much worse. He made her feel even more alone, in a way. She wanted him to just stop it! She didn't have feelings for him and he didn't even know her. Okay, so he knew her just, he didn't know it all. He only thought that he did.

Just when she was about to lose hold of that joy Ma Yun Lu left her with, Zhuge Liang got an urgent letter from Liu Shan. He called for her and Wei Yan to his tent immediately and read it to them aloud.

As it turns out, Ma Su took Zhuge Liang's directions for the battle and threw them out the window. Wei took Jieting without much of a fight. Now that they had high morale, they were marching south, towards Shu! Jiang Wei had already taken a small force to the plains of Wuzhang to stop Wei in their tracks to prevent them from getting to Nanzhong. A few skirmishes had already taken place. Enough of them that they found out that it was Sima Yi who was leading the attack because Cao Cao had just died and his son, Cao Pi, had just assumed the throne as king of Wei. He would join Sima Yi any day now.

That was a lot of information that Jiang Wei had managed to learn in the skirmishes. She imagined that those skirmishes weren't a short sort in which the armies were only sizing each other up.

"We have to get to Wuzhang before then!" She interrupted.

"I agree. If Wei gets past Wuzhang, then there's nothing stopping them from taking Nanzhong. After all this work, we can't let Wei steal our supply force." Zhuge Liang reasoned.

"Then... we... fight!" Wei Yan finished.

"Yes, Wei Yan. We'll leave tomorrow with as large of a force as we can. We'll have to leave some behind to guard our posts here."

"Meng Huo can handle himself." She cut in. "Wu's going to be busy at Hefei and Wei has no access this far south, unless they get past us at Wuzhang. We should throw everything we have into defending it."

Zhuge Liang nodded.

"I hope you're right, Xing Cai."

She and Wei Yan where then dismissed. Wei Yan marched away at a brisk pace. Cai lingered for a moment to retie her boot. That's when she heard Zhuge Liang have a coughing fit. She felt a crease form on her brow.

When Zhuge Liang said that taking all the tribes on Nanzhong separately would take too much time, did he mean... No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be. She shouldn't think things like that. So she quickly vanquished those thoughts from her mind before they could go any further.

x

They rode for Wuzhang at first light. Zhuge Liang insisted that he ride in the carriage alone so that he could have the peace and quiet that he needed to prepare the strategies. Of course, Yue Ying rode with him. Cai suspected it was because he wanted to sleep or because he didn't want anyone else to hear him cough. Either way, Wei Yan led the march.

So this left Xing Cai to either walk, or ride next to the carriage driver. She decided to ride next to the carriage driver who could talk for hours and hours without end. Sure it was annoying, but it was better than silence, so she really couldn't complain. Besides, her mind was consumed with thoughts of the next battle anyway. So she didn't even end up hearing half of what the driver said.

x

It took them four days to get to Wuzhang. Jiang Wei greeted them warmly. It was certain that he was glad for the reinforcements. Rightfully so too. From the edge of the camp, she could see the castle that Sima Yi and his men inhabited. Her stomach turned. Being nervous like this wasn't going to help any, but she couldn't help it.

A few minutes later, she was standing in the main tent with Zhuge Liang, Yue Ying, Jiang Wei and Wei Yan.

The sleeping dragon did not look well. His face had grown to be very pale. His eyes were droopier than she had ever seen them. His shoulders slouched and his movements were slow. Not the same controlled slow that they normally were. Now he was slow as if painful. His voice was hoarse also.

"Yue Ying, go to the west fort and make sure everything is in order there. Jiang Wei, you'll go to the east fort. Wei Yan, you go to the fort here." He pointed to the fort on the map. "When I tell you, you'll charge the Wei main camp. Xing Cai, you'll go with him to make sure he waits for the proper time. If you succeed, then we may be able to secure a victory."

They all bowed to the strategist with their fist held in the opposite palm. Just as they all left, Zhuge Liang had another coughing fit. She heard it, but like the other generals, with the exception of Yue Ying, she pretended not to hear it.

She followed Wei Yan east, all the way to the eastern fort on the foothills. The night was strangely calm, but it wasn't very dark. The full moon provided enough light so that she could see the entire plain. She had no idea why they called these the Wuzhang _plains_. They weren't plains. Rather, they were at the edge of some bare rolling hills. Maybe it was because there was only tall grass and no trees.

When they finally made it to the fort, they found it was under siege. She, Wei Yan and the units behind them began to run. They charged through the gate. Wei Yan and the men began fighting off the soldiers of Wei while Xing Cai gave the guard captain orders for a counterattack.

"Get the archers in the towers! Tell them to fire at will!"

The captain nodded and ran off. So she too joined the fray with her spear. She hacked and slashed her way through the Wei ranks. For a while, she found it was harder to fight against disciplined soldiers since she had gotten used to the Nanzhong savages. For a while, she barely managed on her own. She didn't take any major hits, but it took her more moves than it normally did to defeat an enemy. Of course, the last time she fought against real soldiers was at Mai castle.

No, she couldn't think about that now. She needed to focus on the battle. She couldn't afford to worry about how rusty she was.

She took a breath and called on her inner strength. She needed to get her battle face on.

"For the future!" She shouted.

The Shu soldiers shouted in agreement.

They continued to fight on. That's when she came to the commander of the unit. He was tall. His charcoal black hair was cut short. He wore a white tunic with long sleeves under silver armor. He wielded a long sword with a red tassel. It was Cao Pi. The last time she had seen him was when he left Chengdu after their little negotiation talks that had clearly ended in failure, or else they wouldn't be standing here right now.

They stood glaring each other for a few moments before he pointed the tip of his sword at her. She tightened her grip in her spear.

"Prepare yourself!" He shouted. "I shall cut you down."

"You shall not beat me! I am Zhang Xing Cai, the daughter of Zhang Fei and general of Shu Han!" She proclaimed.

She didn't realize that she had just accepted the challenge of the new king of Wei until it was already too late. It didn't matter. There wasn't exactly anything she could do about it now.

They charged each other. They meet at a deadlock.

"So," Cao Pi started as he over powered her and pushed her away.

She stumbled slightly, but didn't loose her footing. She quickly recovered and stood up straight, ready for his next attack. The king of Wei stood calmly before her with his weight evenly distributed between his two feet.

"this is the daughter of that drunken Zhang Fei."

She lunged her spear at him in rage for mentioning her father's name. He whacked her spear away with a simple swing of his sword. She came around again with a powerful slash. He blocked that too. So she thrust the head of her spear at his stomach. He spun to the side and hurled his sword down on the spear's shaft right between her hands. The force of the blow knocked the spear out of her hands. Then his foot came up and kicked her in the gut. She stumbled back and hunched over with her back to him as she tried to catch her wind.

"How disappointing." Cao Pi commented. "I was expecting so much more from you. However..." He paused for a moment as he considered his next words carefully. "You know, you're actually pretty good. I applaud your bravery. Hmm," He paused to think for a moment. "I could use somebody like you."

She instantly noticed how his sentences started with 'I' most of the time. She looked up at dead soldier who had a dagger in his chest. She could see in the blade's reflection that Cao Pi was eyeing her intently. She carefully grabbed the hilt of the dagger so that he wouldn't see her do so. She held the hilt backwards so the blade pressed against her forearm. Then she stood up and turned to face him.

He could see by the look on her face that she wasn't going to follow him willingly.

"You know who I am and you would still face me? Even after I offered to let you join Wei, beneath me. Then I shall grant you no mercy!"

He lunged his sword at her. She grabbed the guard to stop him and then thundered her elbow into his gut to return the favor he had given her. He stepped back. She drew the dagger into open view. He only laughed and stabbed his sword in the ground. She was angered that he didn't take her more seriously, but he had just disarmed himself. So she was going to take full advantage on him.

She lunged the dagger at his midsection. He stepped to the side. So she drew her arm back and lunged it at his other side. He moved out of the way again. After she drew her arm again, she swung the dagger at his neck. He only leaned back, just out of her reach. She retaliated for her next attack, but he was quicker. He caught her arm in mid swing. Then he wound his other arm and slapped her across the face with the back of his hand. She stumbled back, but didn't give him the chance to go on the offensive again. She pulled her arm out of his grip and lunged the dagger at his approaching form. He caught her arm with one of his powerful hands once again. With the other elbow, he slammed her wrist, making her drop the blade and cry out in agony.

Before she realized what he was doing, he grabbed both of her wrists and spun her around. He had her back pressed against his front. He had her arms crossed over her stomach as he held her wrists tightly. She couldn't move.

His breath heated the back of her neck. His fingers wrapped so tightly around her throbbing wrist that it only hurt more. When she felt that he indeed was quite the man, it made her fight against him even harder, but it was in vain. He held onto her too tightly. He was stronger than she was. She knew that, but it wouldn't stop her from trying.

He got frustrated and gave her wrists a hard tug. The muscles of her arms arched as they were stretch beyond what they should be. She stopped moving so that he would stop pulling her arms, which were dangerously close to coming out of their sockets.

"Will you still fight me now?" He whispered seductively into her ear.

Ha! If he thought he could subdue her this easily, then he didn't know very much about her. Sun Quan had tried to also. Of course, he had used the gentle, friendly approach. She still resisted him even though she was only half alive to do so.

Cao Pi on the other hand, he was trying to beat her into submission. Her own father had used the same strategy, to a much weaker extent though. She didn't give into him then. She didn't give into Sun Quan when it would have saved her life. She could have pretended to fall for him or something. Then he would have taken her as a bride and she would be safe, but the thought didn't even cross her mind at the time. She could do the same here, but she wasn't going to. She never gave into her enemies and she wasn't going to start now.

If he thought he could seduce her like he had the other women in his life, he was in for a shock.

"Always." She whispered back.

She lowered her chin, and swung the back of her head into his face.

"AHHHH!" He cried as he loosened his grip ever so slightly, but it was enough.

It was enough for her to pull one of her wrists out of his grip and hurl her elbow into his chest. Then she spun away, but he still held her other wrists in one hand as he held his bleeding nose in the other. She kicked the forearm of the hand still holding her. Now she was out of his grasp completely. So he leaped for his sword.

Cai spun around and rushed for her spear. She picked it up and spun to face the king of Wei, ready to block his attack, but he was gone. He had run away. Coward!

"Coward!" She screamed loud enough so Cao Pi could hear it wherever it was that he ran to.

If that was the best that Wei had to offer, then maybe they could win this battle after all. Xing Cai looked around to see that they had successfully defended the base from Cao Pi's attack. She felt particularly proud of herself for defeating the King of Wei.

The guard captain of the base came running over to her.

"Cao Pi's unit has pulled back to the castle." He reported.

"Good, send a messenger to tell Zhuge Liang that the base is safe and that we're waiting on his order to attack the Wei castle."

"We?"

"Wei Yan and..." She looked around to find Wei Yan was gone. "Where's Wei Yan!"

"My lady!" Another soldier came running over to her. "Wei Yan is following after Cao Pi, alone!"

"Go and tell him to get back here NOW!" She shouted then turned back to the guard captain. "Have your men gather the wounded and get them to the main camp. Keep the archers on the wall and finish off any surviving Wei soldiers. Have the remainder of your men repair the gates for the next onslaught."

The captain nodded and ran off.

x

Wei Yan didn't ever return to the base. The scouts reported that he was last seen charging into Wei's castle that welcomed him with open gates. When they closed, they didn't open again. The next morning, there was a small stream of smoke rising from Wei's caste. The source was a fire that could have barely been big enough to burn the slaughtered men.

"You FOOL!"

Xing Cai shouted curses at Wei Yan's memory, much as she imagined Zhuge Liang doing this very moment as well. Why couldn't he have just stuck to the plan? If he would have waited until Zhuge Liang gave him the go ahead, then he could have taken the castle. He had been the strongest among them. Now all they had was her and Jiang Wei.

Later that morning, they intercepted one of the Wei messengers. Cao Pi had called for reinforcements from Xuchang and it would only take them a few days to get here.

"We have to attack before they get here!" Jiang Wei decided. "If they get here before Ma Chao can, then we won't stand a chance."

"I agree." She stated.

Zhuge Liang nodded. Then he started coughing. Yue Ying's brow creased with worry. He cleared his throat and stood up straight again before speaking.

"Sima Yi knows better than to attack us. We have better defense than they do. He'll wait till the reinforcements come. Then he'll finish us in one blow. We have to lure him out of that castle before we can attack."

"But what about our supplies? We can't rely entire on the stores here? They won't last. We might die of starvation before either army comes." She pointed out.

Zhuge Liang nodded again.

"Then we shall try and lure Wei out of their castle."

"How?" Yue Ying asked.

"Mock him, harass him, tell the subordinates to get creative. Set up some ambush parties here, here, here and here in case Wei falls for it." He pointed to the map. "Distribute the supplies equally among the bases."

He began coughing again.

"That's all. You're dismissed." He chocked out.

She and Jiang Wei exchanged nervous looks but did as they were told and left. Yue Ying stayed. When she and Jiang Wei were beyond Zhuge Liang's earshot, they quietly talked.

"What do you think is wrong with him?" She asked.

"You know when Meng Huo poisoned the river, how you said that it stunk?"

"Yes."

She could never forget that stench. Luckily, she had managed to get it off her clothes between then and now, but the memories still haunted her. Yun Lu had it worse. She had thrown up everything she ate for three days because it was so bad. Ugh.

"I think that the fumes affected Zhuge Liang's lungs."

There was along and awkward silence between them.

"Do you think he'll recover?" She eventually asked.

Jiang Wei spent more time with Zhuge Liang than she did. So he was the one that would know, but he only shrugged and said;

"I don't know. The prime minister, if he... do you know what that would mean for Shu?"

She didn't respond, not because she didn't know, but because she didn't want to say it out loud.

"It would mean a retreat back to Baidi. Then we'd be relying on Wu to finish off Wei for us. Yet Wu's been preparing to attack Baidi since they settled in Mai castle. We can't rely on double crossers to help us."

She of all people knew that.

"Why does one loss always have to lead to certain defeat?" She asked aloud before leaving.

They just needed to last a few more days. Zhuge Liang only needed to last a few more days, but his condition was steadily getting worse. His coughing fits were becoming less spaced out and they lasted longer. Every time he opened his mouth, whatever came out sounded tired. His eyes became lazy. She even noticed that his pupils were slow to react to light changes. Then the color faded from his face, she knew he didn't have much time left.

He of course, never admitted it. He never let himself show any voluntary signs of weakness. He only ever admitted that he needed rest to Yue Ying and Jiang Wei. Cai had seen him do it a few times, so she knew it happened, often, probably more often than he wanted her knowing about.

They may have only been there for a few days, but now Zhuge Liang was spending more time in bed than out. She knew he would only do that if he couldn't stand to walk among them.

As he had ordered, they tried to lure Wei out of their castle. Every general and subordinate tried something different. Nothing worked. Jiang Wei had tried to lead a rather pathetic looking assault to temp soldiers out in order to attack them. Sima Yi had simply ordered the archers to shot them. So Jiang Wei had no choice but to retreat. Together, she and Yue Ying sent Sima Yi and few spare pieces of their clothing and called him a woman. That had caused quite a stir, but not enough to cause Sima Yi to come out.

Ma Chao had arrived with a thousand good men. That was all he managed to get. It was impressive, but it wasn't nearly enough. Zhuge Liang told them so. That's also when he gave them his last orders.

"If... one of you could... get into the castle and set fire... then you'd distract them long enough... just long enough for a retreat."

She recognized the sound of death in his voice. She could tell that he only had minutes to live. It had that same tone that Zhang Bao and Guan Ping both had when they had died. She turned and gestured for Jiang Wei and Ma Chao to follow her out. Zhuge Laing's last moments belonged to Yue Ying.

When they stepped out of the tent, they were subject to the attention of a crowd that had gathered. They clearly wanted an update. She, Ma Chao and Jiang Wei formed a tight circle and whispered in quiet voices as they discussed what to do.

"We'll do what Zhuge Laing said to do. One of us will go in the Wei castle and set fire. That should cover for a retreat." She decided.

"We'll start retreating quietly, one unit at a time. When we have to start getting the horses out... It will be more noticeable for the Wei scouts. That's when the fire will have to be started... I'll go." Jiang Wei volunteered.

"No." She argued. "Don't you see, Jiang Wei? When Zhuge Laing... when he... then you'll be in charge."

"But Ma Chao's the senior general. He should be in charge." He pointed out.

"Now hold on. She's right, Jiang Wei. I'm simply a general. You're Zhuge Liang's appetence. He's named you the heir of his title. You'll be the new prime minister and master strategist."

There was a brief silence.

"You have to get the men out of here. That's your job now. I'll go and set the fire." Cai stated.

"I'll go with you." Ma Chao told her.

* * *

There, how's that for a little steamy Xing Cai and Cao Pi action, Danielle Wolf? There's more to come since Cao Pi isn't going to give up so easily, but she won't actually become his queen.


	32. Cao Pi the King of Wei

32. Cao Pi the King of Wei

The retreat began as soon as the sun set. Twenty men would leave the camp to start marching toward Baidi at a time every ten minutes. The scouts had left hours before hand to secure the road and lead the groups from check point to checkpoint. They kept the archers patrolling the bases and main camp for as long as they could. That way, nothing would appear out of the ordinary to the Wei scouts that were surely watching them with hawk eyes.

By midnight, they had just over half of the camp and all the bases completely evacuated. That's when Jiang Wei sent her and Ma Chao to go set fire to the Wei castle. Ma Chao already had his white stallion, but since that horse would be too easily seen, they both were given two black horses that would be near invisible in the darkness of the night.

She followed Ma Chao down the foothills and across the Wuzhang Plains. Plains, ha! Ahead of them was the castle. They got off the horses and tied them to some branches.

"Follow me." He told her.

She nodded. He led her over toward the castle. They came to a large tree that grew right next to the castle's wall. So naturally, they decided to climb it. They climbed up the trunk and worked their way over to the branch that was closest to the wall, but it was still a considerable distance away. Ma Chao climbed up a little further toward the top. Form one of the branches, he jumped. His feet landed on the wall with a soft thud.

She also made her way higher up the tree. When she got to the branch, she too jumped, but she didn't make it to the wall and began to fall. Ma Chao leaped toward her grabbed her arms and held her as she dangled off the side. He was holding tightly as he was lying on his stomach.

Neither one of them made a sound as they exchanged scared looks.

Cai found a crack in the bricks and began to push herself up. With Ma Chao pulling her arms, it didn't take them long to get her back over.

They both let out a sigh of relief and ran along the wall before they were spotted. They ran down some stairs and to the far side of a stack of barrels as some soldiers came. She recognized Cao Pi's voice among them.

Fear gripped her tightly. Her stomach leaped to her throat. The sound of his voice sent chills through her.

"There's been word that Zhuge Liang's death is near." One of the soldiers announced.

"Good, prepare for a night raid. Have Sima Yi get the men ready." Cao Pi responded.

"What are your orders regarding the enemy soldiers?"

"Kill every soldier and general you come across, but if you come to any women, I want her taken, _unharmed_." He emphasized.

She wondered why he knew he had to emphasize that word.

"Women, sir?"

"Yes, there's one in particular that I'd like to teach a lesson to."

She knew he was talking about her. He wanted revenge for her humiliating him in front of his men and the soldiers of Shu. Well, he wasn't going to get the chance. As soon as the fire was big enough, she and Ma Chao would be gone.

When Cao Pi and the soldiers surrounding him left, she followed Ma Chao over to the food supplies. They grabbed some torches and lit the stores a blaze. The fire grew more and more since everything was stored in wooden crates and barrels. Then, when they thought that the fire was strong enough, they threw the torches deeper into the stores and ran.

"FIRE!"

"Get some water!"

She ran closely behind Ma Chao as they ran back across the courtyard. Then, she tripped on something. She landed on the ground with a crash. That's when she realized, she hadn't stumbled, someone had tripped her!

She flipped over just as Cao Pi sat on her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them far above her head. She fought against him, but he was sitting on her. She couldn't exactly get him off.

Some Wei soldiers came running over to them.

"Bind her hands!" Cao Pi ordered.

She felt some more hands grab her wrists and bind them together tightly with thick ropes. She struggled as she continued to try and fight them off, but it was one against who knows how many!

Then Cao Pi got off her and began to pull her to her feet. She spotted Ma Chao. He was crouching behind some barrels with his spear in hand ready to attack. She shock her head to tell him 'no'. It would have meant certain death for him if he tried to save her now. Then she gave her head a slight jerk to the side to tell him to leave. He shook his head 'no'. Then he used his index and middle finger to point to his eyes and then pointed at her with them to tell her 'I'll be watching', presumably for the right time to get her out. She nodded in acknowledgement. He slipped away.

When Cao Pi got her up, some soldiers took hold of her arms and held her tightly. It was useless to fight them now. So she decided to save her strength.

Cao Pi stood in front of her looking very pleased with himself, which was strange since his castle was burning all around them. He stepped close in front of her, much closer than she'd like an enemy king to be, but Sun Quan had been just as close to her before. It was strange that both of Shu's greatest enemies acted this way towards her and that she had survived to tell about it.

"Strange that you say you'll never follow me and then I found you here, in my camp." He stated with a smirk grin on his face.

"I wouldn't exactly call setting your supplies on fire supporting you." She retorted.

His smirk turned into a glare. His eyes filled with lust.

"I don't really need your support… on the battlefield that is."

She knew what he was hinting at and was disgusted by it.

"Do you not realize that we're related!" She shouted.

He gave her a look.

"Xiahou Yuan is my great grandfather who is also your father's cousin." She told him. "You know that my father took a Lady Xiahou as his wife. It's the same Xiahou family. You would be a Xiahou also if your father didn't change his name."

He smirked.

"Then we're not too closely related." He reasoned.

"You're sick!"

"We'll see just exactly how long it takes to break you of that rebellious spirit, won't we? I've taken a woman from the Yuan family to prove my dominance of them. I think that taking you would only crush's Shu's spirit all too well." He turned to the men holding her. "Take her to my chambers and lock her in."

The soldiers dragged her away. She fought hard against them, but it was all in vain. They were stronger than she was. They shoved her through a doorway and slammed the door shut. She heard some metal locks clasp shut.

There could be a million things going through her mind, such as what Cao Pi would do to her once he returned and how much he would enjoy it. However, only one thing was on her mind, escape. There had to be a way out. There always was. All she had to do was find it. So she looked around the room. There was a large canopy bed in the middle of the room, ugh. There were also a few trunks and a desk littered with papers.

"And... who are you?" A feminine yet angry voice demanded.

Cai spun around and saw a tall lean woman standing before her. Other than the wardrobe, they looked quite alike, except this woman had hazel eyes. Cai's were black, but they both had fair skin, black hair and a thin build.

"Who are you?" She shot back.

"I asked you first!" The woman shouted hotly.

"Fine!" Cai gave in since she didn't have the time or cared to argue the point. "I'm Zhang Xing Cai, Cao Pi's latest prisoner."

The woman looked very troubled at this. Her fair cheeks turned red hot and her look was deadly in itself.

"I'm Zhen Ji, Cao Pi's wife."

Cai huffed.

"I feel sorry for you." She mumbled as she looked around for a way out.

Zhen Ji followed her every step.

"Well listen you, Cao Pi's mine and I'll kill you if you try to..."

"I'm not exactly here on my own will." She spat.

Zhen Ji was silenced.

"You... you mean that... you don't want to be Cao Pi's queen?"

"No!" She shouted. "I'm loyal to Shu."

Cai spotted a window high up above the bed's canopy. It was long and thin, but if she could get up that high, she should be able to slip through it. So she went over to the trunks and started dragging them over to the bed.

"What are you doing?" Zhen Ji asked skeptically.

"See that window? If I can stack these trunks high enough, I might be able to get through it."

"Well..."

Zhen Ji took a moment to think while Xing Cai was pulling the trunk toward the bed.

"I guess we want the same thing. We both want you to leave. So I'll help you."

"Ha!" She laughed. "Why would you help me? Cao Pi will kill you for helping me escape."

"Not if he thinks I didn't help you." Zhen Ji responded as she too began dragging trunks toward the bed. "Listen, on the other side of the wall is a large drop off. You'll need rope to lower yourself down. You can use the sheets."

They pulled the sheets of the bed. Then they began stacking the trunks on the bare mattress. They went halfway up the wall. That would be enough for her to pull herself up the rest of the way. Then the two of them rolled the sheets up and fashioned ropes out of them. They tied on end to a bed post and threw the other end through the window.

"There," Zhen Ji stated. "now knock me out."

"What?"

"It's the only way to make Cao Pi believe that I didn't help you. I'll tell him you knocked me out and did this while I was unconscious."

"Alright, but first we need it to look like there was a straggle."

They began to trash the place. Once they thought it looked convincing enough, Cai went over to the desk and picked up one of the ink cartridges.

"This is going to hurt," She warned. "and the ink will probably stain."

She was certain that Zhen Ji would tear up at the thought of ruining one of her pretty little dresses, but to her credit, she didn't. Instead she said;

"Do it."

"Before I do," Cai started. "just promise me one thing."

"What?"

"That you will do everything in your power to stop Wei from attacking Shu as long as you live."

Zhen Ji gave her a look.

"Why?"

"Because I'm helping you. I'm letting them all think that I knocked out and then left."

"I'm the one helping you. Had I not, there would have actually been a struggle." Zhen Ji argued.

"Yes, and I'm the daughter of one of the tiger generals. I'm a fighter and a general of Shu myself. You're the princess of Wei. Who do you think would have won?"

Zhen Ji couldn't argue that point. So she gave in.

"Fine, Wei will not attack Shu again as long as I live."

Zhen Ji turned around and waited patiently.

"Then I hope you live a long life."

Cai wound her arm and hit the woman as hard as she could at the base of the neck. With a cry, Zhen Ji collapsed on top of the rubble. To make sure Cao Pi would believe their story. Cai threw some papers over top of her to entwine her into the scene. Her just laying overtop of all the rubble would look suspicious.

Then Cai went over to the bed. She climbed up the stack of trunks and pushed off the top one to hoist herself on the window. The trunks below her collapsed with a loud crash. The guards outside burst in and saw the scene before them, exactly how she and Zhen Ji wanted. Only, they came a little too early.

"Stop her!" One of them shouted.

It was too late, Cai pushed herself through the window and used the rope to climb down to the ground. She was outside again. So she spun around and began to run for the castle wall. When she turned a corner, she nearly ran right into Ma Chao.

"Xing Cai!"

"Ma Chao!"

They both were surprised, but glad to see the other.

"Follow me." He told her.

She followed him up the stairs and along the wall. They ran toward the tree they had climbed to get up here in the first place, but they couldn't jump this time. After all, what were the chances that either one of them would actually land on the tree and stay on it? They would miss it and land on the ground after falling through the branches.

Ma Chao handed her the blunt side of his spear. She took it while he held the other end. Then he lowered her down the side of the wall. When he was on his stomach again, she let go. She fell and landed on her feet, but the force of the fall ended her on her side. Then the spear landed next to her. She looked up just as Ma Chao grabbed the edge of the wall and hung himself off the side. Then he dropped down.

She pulled him to his feet. He picked up his spear. Then they ran back over to the horses and mounted up. They galloped toward where Jiang Wei instructed them to meet up, but a whole unit of Wei soldiers stopped them.

She and Ma Chao both pulled out their spears. They were outnumbered twenty to two, but they had horses. The Wei soldiers didn't. That gave them a little bit of an advantage.

She and Ma Chao charged into the group side by side. She hacked and slashed at the solders on their right side, while Ma Chao covered the left. She hated fighting on horseback. It was so much harder than on the ground, but they wouldn't have time to dismount, wipe out this unit and get up on the horses again. So they would have to kill them on horseback since they couldn't afford to leave any survivors. Anyone left standing would send the rest of the Wei army after them.

So they killed all of them and continued riding west, toward Baidi as fast as the horses could take them. They were supposed to meet Jiang Wei at a valley two hours ride away from the Wuzhang Plains, but when they got there, no one else was there. So they tied the horses to some trees and made a fire using a flint stone and the head of Ma Chao's spear. They didn't have any food or any supplies. All they had was the horses and their spears and the flint stone with Ma Chao had brought in case there hadn't been any torches to use to set the supplies on fire.

"We may have lost at Wuzhang, but without their supplies, Wei will have to go back to Xuchang." She reasoned. "Thus, they won't be able to make it to Nanzhong. Our supplies there are secure."

Ma Chao nodded in agreement.

"And after their loss at Hefei, Wu's the only one left that could challenge us, but... they're at Mai castle. They're clearing a path to attack Baidi."

"Then that's where we'll be making our final stand." She finished.

They both laid down on the grass and rested with at least one eye open for the rest of the night.

Wu was all that remained. More specifically, Sun Quan, the man who had taken everything from her. She had vowed to kill him at the time, but now, now it didn't matter if he died or not. As long as the Wu threat was neutralized, the same as the Wei threat, that's all that mattered.

Wei was finished. At least, their southern campaign was. They were still a force to be reckoned with, but not one strong enough to go on the offense for a long, long time. Shu too was weak. Hopefully, not too weak that they couldn't fight Wu off, which was now the strong one left standing.

* * *

Phew, sorry for the late update. Spring is a busy time for me with barrel racing and pole bending season coming into full swing. I'm going to a jackpot this weekend so I wanted to get this posted today so I could cheer for my friends. I not racing this year because my gelding has some sores on his back. He should be fine after a few days of rest.

Anyway, the story's almost over. I hope you've all enjoyed it so far because there's only three chapters left!

Happy weekend!


	33. The Eve of the Final Battle

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33. The Eve of the Final Battle

The next morning, Jiang Wei caught up with them and from the valley, they rode to Baidi. They arrived late that evening. It had been almost a full year since she left Baidi for Nanzhong.

As soon as she walked through the gate, Zhang Xiao greeted her with a tight embrace. Her sister looked healthier than ever. Her frail figure seemed to fill out slightly. Her new shape was framed with a silk dress and neck was decorated with the yellow bead necklace Cai had sent her from Hanzhong.

Liu Shan also greeted her warmly, but his greeting was a little more awkward.

Cai was almost twenty now, well past the marriageable age. However, mirage was not one of the greater worries on her list. They had only a few months to prepare for Wu's attack. Luckily, Wu had been so preoccupied with Wei at Hefei that they had forgotten to pave a path through the foothills during the dry season. The end of this year's raining season was coming to a close, so Wu would march within the month. Shu didn't need to scramble to prepare. Everything was easily prepared since they still had everything from Wuzhang.

Zhao Yun and Ma Yun Lu were requested to stay at Chengdu since it still needed someone in command. That left Huang Zhong in charge of preparing the troops. Ma Chao prepared the horses and the cavalry. Jiang Wei prepared the strategy. Zhang Shao was in charge of the ambush parties. Xing Cai asked to be in charge of the archers, since that's all that was left, but Shan refused and told her that she was to guard the south entrance of the castle. So she pointed out to him that that mission would be during the battle and asked him what she should do till them. All he told her was;

"Get yourself ready."

She wasn't quite sure what he meant by that and was left frustrated. So she decided to help Yue Ying pack her things. Yue Ying was taking Zhuge Zhan to Chengdu where Zhuge Liang was to be buried. There, she would also morn for him.

Once they were gone, that only left her mother and Zhang Xiao. Regardless, she requested to Liu Shan that they too be sent to Chengdu. He agreed. Neither Lady Xiahou nor Xiao wanted to leave. So Liu Shan personally saw to their departure.

At the moment, Zhang Xing Cai was standing in the courtyard as her mother's and Xiao's things were being loaded into the carriage.

She gave her mother a hug.

"Oh Cai, I cann't bare to say goodbye once again."

They parted. She gave her mother the best smile she could muster.

"Don't worry mother, this is the final battle. There won't be another after this in our lifetime."

Then she moved to give Xiao a hug.

"I love you so much, Cai."

They pulled away but still held hands.

"And I love you, Xiao."

They couldn't help but hug again. When they finally separated, their mother came and guided Xiao towards the carriage. With one final worried look directed at her, her mother got into the carriage and closed the door.

When the traveling party was out of sight, she and Shao exchanged an upset yet hopeful look. Upset because this would be the hardest battle yet, but also hopeful because this would be the last battle. That was the last goodbye. It was also hopeful for another reason, victory wasn't out of grasp. They could hold Jing. They could win.

x

A few days later, Cai was sitting on the grass in the castle's courtyard. She was leaning against one of the trees. She had her arms wrapped protectively around her legs as she rested her chin on her knees. She let out another sigh and watched the sun set behind the silhouette of the mountains.

It was the eve before the final battle, the darkness before the dawn. All they had to do was push Wu out of Jing and they would have their victory. If they managed to kill Sun Quan, then Jiangdong would be theirs as well. The kingdom of Shu Han would dominate and they would have enough strength to finish off Wei for good. Then the entire land would belong to Shu. Liu Bei's vision, the vision that they all dedicated their lives to, would then be realized.

She heard someone approach her from behind, but didn't turn.

"May I join you?"

She straightened her legs out in front of her.

"Of course, my lord."

Liu Shan sat down next to her. She knew it had been him.

"Tomorrow's going to decide it all." He stated.

She nodded. Everything she did, everything she lost, it would either be for nothing or be for the future she didn't think she would live to see. She would have taken a moment to marvel at the significance of it, but she already had been already for the past few hours.

"Yes." She simply agreed.

"Cai, have you thought about what you're going to do after it's all over?"

She shifted uncomfortably since she knew where this was going.

"It's a little too early to think about that, Shan."

"No, I don't think so. If we win tomorrow... then it's all over. The land will be in three and all three sides will be too weak to attack one another. Each kingdom will rule how they want to and have everything their own way. The land will finally know peace... but, if can conquer Wu as well, then we can attack Wei. Father's dream of uniting the land under Shu will be reality. I just wish that my father was here to see it."

Shan's voice nearly broke at the last part.

"I'm sure he's watching us now." She reassured him as she looked up at the sky.

"You think so?" He asked.

"I do." She confirmed.

There was a long silence between them. She knew what Shan was thinking. He wanted to take her in his arms and kiss her until they were both dizzy.

She decided that since they both had fought so hard, since there was only one to go and since Shan would be executed if they lost. She moved closer to him and rested her head on his chest. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and put the other on the inside of her knee to pull her closer. She let him until he had her leaning against him completely.

His hands moved along her arms. His fingers tingled her skin. She raised her gaze so that she could look him in the eye. He brought his lips down on hers.

He kissed her softly, gently squeezing her bottom lip in his. His hand that hand been on her knee moved up her thigh and came to rest on her hip.

For a moment, she thought she was in the woods with Guan Ping, but when a hand began moving up her front, she knew it wasn't Ping. Ping would never let his hands violate her without her permission.

When there was a break in his rhythm, she pulled away and let her head rest on his chest. She couldn't do this. She didn't have the heart to. Her heart had been torn in two. Guan Ping's half had been buried with him. That left her with only her half left. Half a heart wasn't enough to love someone. Liu Shan may be able to hand her his heart, but she had nothing to give him in return. She wasn't going to drag him down to her level. He deserved better than that.

x

"_Hold on, Guan Ping. I'll get you to Hua Tuo. He'll heal you, you'll be alright."_

"_No." He whispered just before he began to cough blood. "I'm finished Cai. Back at Fan castle... I had been hit in the shoulder by an arrow. Hua Tuo told me that I had a few hours before it would kill me... I've been dying for the past day and a half. When you took me to see him, he said he was impressed that I lasted so long, but now... Now I'm lung shot."_

"_No Ping! You're not going to die! Don't say things such as..."_

_Her tears stopped her from finishing._

"_Xing Cai, I can no longer protect you. For... Forgive me." He rasped._

_She grabbed his hands._

"_No Ping, you can't die. You know why?" _

_She pressed his hand to her belly. She wanted him to feel the bump that had already begun to form._

"_You're going to be a father now." She choked out._

_He stared up at her for a moment that seemed to last forever. Forever ended too soon. _

"_No Cai, some... other man... is going to be."_

"_Ping I can't..."_

"_You ha... have to go on... without me." He interrupted. "Just... just make sure that he... deserves you. Promise me that you... that you will go on. That... you'll never give up... that you'll never let go."_

"_I promise."_

_He smiled slightly. Then his eyes closed and his hand fell from her grasp._

* * *

Okay, sorry once again for the late update. I was helping a friend with his knew horse. Anyway, happy presidents day and as a special gift, I'm going to post a sneak peak of the 'Legend, Loyalty and Laments of Zhen Ji' for all of you.


	34. The Battle of Baidi Castle

So, long story short, my computer crashed. So I had to get a new one and rewrite the last two chapters. Sorry for the wait and please remember to review! I havn't gotten a review for the past six chapters and I'm uploading two chapters today!

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34. The Battle of Baidi Castle.

The next morning, everyone was scrambling to their posts. Archers grabbed their bows and quivers. Then they ran up the castle wall to find an open piece of space to stand. The cavalry, led by Ma Chao, brought their horses out from the barn and mounted up. Then they stormed out of the castle and went to take their position south east of the castle. Jiang Wei gathered an infantry to prepare to guard a maze trap he had built to keep Wu from getting to the north entrance.

Zhang Xing Cai picked up her spear and moved toward the southern entrance. Huang Zhong came over to her.

"I hope you're ready for a fight to the death, little lady." He told her.

"Of course, duty above all else." She responded.

He gave her a nod of approval. She nodded in return. After giving each other encouraging smiles, they split to go their separate ways. She would guard the southern pass. Huang Zhong would guard the castle's eastern entrance.

She began to weave her way through the soldiers when she heard her name.

"Xing Cai!"

She turned and saw Liu Shan running toward her. He stopped in front of her, but didn't say a word. They only stared into the other's eyes to try and figure out what they were thinking.

She stepped closer to him and gave him short, sweet kiss. Then she backed away and tightened her grip on her spear. He gave a look that begged for an explanation.

"For luck." She told him.

Then, without another word, she turned and ran to the southern gate. Her men were already there waiting for her. None of them looked particularly inspired to fight.

"What word have we gotten about the enemy's position?" She asked the captain.

"Wu's spilt its force in two. Half's going north and half's going south. The strategist is going north to try and break through Jiang Wei's trap. Sun Quan is headed right for us!"

She nodded.

"Good."

"Why is that good!" One of her men demanded.

She turned to face the men with worried faces, but couldn't pick out the one that had said that. So she addressed them all.

"Because then we'll know that Sun Quan will never make it into the castle. Prepare an ambush. When Sun Quan's vanguard comes, let the arches fire two volleys. Then we'll attack from the sides. Have the men inside the castle lock the gates in case some Wu scum try and slip past us."

The men, looking slightly braver, began to move into the trees. She went with her captain and hid behind some bushes. They all waited, patiently and eagerly. They breathed quietly and didn't move. With their green uniforms, she was certain that even if a Wu soldier knew that there was an ambush set here, they wouldn't be able to see them.

Cai looked to the south and watched for any movement or any red of one of Wu's uniforms. That's when she realized, this was the same pass that she had used to get into Baidi when she walked from Mai castle. That was almost a year ago now.

Her first battle had been two years ago, at Chengdu. She couldn't think of a way that her life didn't change since then. Even the two battles were complete opposites. Then, they had been on the offensive to take a castle in order to set up a base of operations. Now, they were defending a castle, their lord, and their dreams of the future with their lives.

Then a soft thunder came to her ears. She snapped her attention back to reality and looked south, where her attention should have been the whole time. There was a wave of red Wu soldiers marching toward the gate. When they turned the corner, the commander, who she couldn't identify, stopped them.

All the Shu soldiers held their breath and preyed that they didn't suspect and ambush.

After a few moments, the march continued under the instructor of the commander, but slower than before. They must not like the appearance of a castle gate seemingly only guarded by some archers.

The commander must be Sun Quan, which would only make sense since the captain had said that he was coming right toward them.

Then, the archers released a volley. The arrows whipped through the air and spilt the first blood of the last battle. Chaos erupted within the Wu soldiers. Men broke the ranks and began running towards the castle gate. Others ran back where they came to try and find some shelter. Yet others did nothing and continued the march.

Cai looked up at the sky, at the heavens. She thought of everyone who was already there waiting for her.

"Lend me your strength, if only for a moment." She silently preyed.

Then another volley began tearing into the red wave of uniforms. The arrows ripped the remains of Wu's ranks apart and threw them into utter chaos. None of them knew what to do. Now was the time to attack.

She leaped to her feet and with her spear raised high above her head, she screamed;

"NOW!"

She charged into Wu's flank with her unit following close behind. Her men on the other side of the path charged out from the trees. The Wu soldiers were pinched between them. They had just been shot at from the front. Now they were being ambushed from the sides. Zhuge Liang would have been proud.

She skewered the nearest Wu soldier in the gut. Then she pulled her spear out and slashed it across the neck of another. Her father, if he was watching, was surely glad that his daughter shared his prowess, to an extent.

If there were emotions she was aware of, fear wasn't one of them anymore. If only Zhang Bao could have fought like this. If he could have found the lack of fear she felt, he would have been worth a thousand men too. She knew he was watching her. What she didn't know is if was envious, or proud of her.

"For Shu!" She shouted.

The Shu soldiers shouted in chorus in response. They reminded her of how the men had shouted in agreement with this very same rally at Mai castle. If Guan Yu was watching, she was sure that he was reminded of it too.

This may be the last battle, but it was going to be just as bad as Mai castle. There was blood everywhere. Death was everywhere. It was in all forms, arrows, swords and spears.

"For the future!" She shouted.

The Shu soldiers temporarily raised their spears and shouted in agreement. That rally had been for her. Simply to remind her, and the others, why they were fighting.

"My Lady!" A messenger called.

She ran over to him.

"The Wu strategist has failed to get through Jiang Wei's trap. So now they're going to come here as well!"

"Send for Ma Chao. Tell him to get over here now!"

The messenger nodded and ran off.

Cai turned back to the battle and continued to fight. She fought the way her father and Zhao Yun both taught her too, fearlessly.

Sure she was afraid, but she knew that this fight was more important than her fear. So she buried it away deep inside her and continued to fight. She continued to fight for the future that was almost made into a reality. It was so close. Only Wu was in the way of that future and she was about to face the entire kingdom right here and now. Wu was her enemy now, but the chaos had been her enemy her entire life. She had no personal enemy. No one person was ever out to get her. She had only been one of many warriors in the world.

Then, the Shu cavalry came around the corner and charged through the Wu ranks. Ma Chao rode over to her and tore down the soldiers surrounding her.

"Cai, we've got to get back in the castle. Sun Quan will be here any minute!"

"No!" She argued. "If Sun Quan's coming, then we have to keep him as far away from the castle as possible. We have to go out and meet him!"

Then there was a loud shout. The two of them turned and saw the entire Wu army marching straight towards them. She looked up at Ma Chao. If Guan Ping was watching, he would have set out a sigh of relief.

"If my father held off the entire Wei army at Changban, then I can hold off Wu."

She beckoned one of the captains over.

"Have all the archers take up position on the southern wall now! Send for Huang Zhong and Jiang Wei."

The captain nodded.

"We have no time to waste. Take my horse." Ma Chao ordered as he stepped down off his steed.

The captain climbed up and galloped off. Since the southern gates were still locked tight, he would have to ride around to the eastern entrance.

The Wu vanguard continued to move closer and closer towards them. So in response, she and Ma Chao charged while they still had room to build up the momentum to.

Maybe they would be remembered as foolish or desperate, but those thoughts didn't cross their minds. All they cared about was Shu. Guan Yu, Guan Ping, Guan Xing, Zhang Fei, Zhang Bao, Wei Yan, Zhuge Liang, Pang Tong and Liu Bei all laid their lives down for Shu. Neither Ma Chao nor Xing Cai cared if their names would be added to the list. They had both sword themselves to Shu. Now, they were going to make good on that oath.

The Wu and Shu forces meet with a violent crash. Those who were lucky enough to live were rewarded with duels to the death.

She and Ma Chao fought back to back. They cleared the area around them of any and every Wu soldiers that was foolish to get close to them.

Then she broke away and fought her way deeper into Wu's ranks.

"You?"

She spun around and saw Sun Quan. He pointed his sword at her.

"Your father was one of the tiger generals wasn't he?"

"What does that matter?" She demanded.

"Your father was a tiger general. That makes you the daughter of a tiger. I am the son of a tiger. My father was the tiger of Jiangdong. We are both of tiger cubs. Why do you fight for Shu? Why not fight with me?"

Another defection offer? Cao Pi had been bold enough to offer, but Sun Quan... she didn't have words to describe it. He had taken everything from her and he wanted her to defect simply because they inherited similar titles from their fathers! Didn't he realize that they got those titles by fighting against each other, not with each other?

"Because I fight for Shu! I am the way of the future, and I fight for that future, not for the man who nearly took that future away."

"Then you will learn the might of the Sun family!"

They charged. Sun Quan fought with a strange wavy sword that was split down the middle. So it was really two blades held together by the massive hilt.

Cai's spear was a medium range weapon. So she needed to keep him a few steps away so she would have room to maneuver. Where as Sun Quan, he needed to get close to her since his blade wasn't as long as her spear.

Cai thrust the head of her spear at his chest. He knocked it away and swung his sword at her head. She blocked it with the spear's shaft. Then she raised her foot and kicked him away, but she hadn't kicked hard enough to wind him. He merely stumbled back a few steps.

She lunged at his gut again with the spear's head. He jumped to the side and came at her, but she whipped the spear around and swung it at him again. He blocked again and again. She managed to keep him at the distance she needed, but it wasn't any good because none of her attacks made it through his blocks.

They both swung their weapons at each other. The steal meet with a large crash. Her spear shattered. The force of the blow sent her flying backwards. She landed on her back.

Sun Quan came charging at her with the sword held high above his head. She rolled over as the sword came down and brought up the earth next to her. In her roll, she kicked out her foot which hit Sun Quan on the side of the knee. He dropped down so she leaped up. With his back to her she lunged at him, but at the last second, he spun around and sliced his sword across her stomach.

She cried out and took her stomach in her hands. She dropped down to her knees and leaned so far forward that her forehead almost touched the ground in front of her.

The world around her began to fade away. Everything began to fade, but then she felt a warm light on her back. She sat up and looked up at the sky. The sun split in two. In the middle was a bright light. It was so blinding that she had to look away.

She looked and saw Sun Quan standing before her. He wound his arm with his blade in hand to make the death blow. Just as he was about to bring his sword down upon her, a flash came from behind her. Ma Chao, with his spear, began fighting off the son of the tiger. She watched with weary eyes, but everything became blurry.

She wanted nothing more than to sleep, but she knew she wouldn't wake up. This was her fate. So be it. She may not see Shu all the way to victory, but this was enough. All she could have done throughout her life was try and do what she thought was right. Looking back, there wasn't a single choice that she had made that she would undo if given the chance to, even that first night in the woods with Guan Ping. It may have been a mistake at the time, but it led to the best parts of her life.

It was true, that old saying.

"_It's better to have loved and lost then never to have loved at all."_

However, there were things she regretted. She wanted to see the future she had given everything to see, but she wasn't going to. Her fate had seen sealed. This is where she would die. It was better than dying at Mai castle. At least she would die knowing that everything she wanted for Shu had come true. Had she died at Mai, she wouldn't know. The heavens had blessed her to live this long.

She wanted to thank Huang Zhong for all the times he hand saved her and was always nice about it. She also wanted to encourage Jiang Wei to keep supporting Shu. She wanted to tell Ma Yun Lu that she was one of the best friends that she had ever had. She wanted to thank Zhao Yun for everything he did for her and for Shu. She wanted to tell Ma Chao that she had been right to trust him. She wanted to tell Xiao and her mother how much she loved them. She wanted to tell Liu Shan to forget her and love Xiao how Xiao had always loved him.

Most of all, she didn't want to die alone.

She collapsed down to the ground. With a final burst of sheer will power, she rolled over so that she wouldn't die facedown. Her breathing became slower and slower since she didn't feel any need for air coming from her lungs.

"Xing Cai!"

Ma Chao kneeled down beside her. Some else grabbed her shoulders and cradled her in their arms. She recognized Liu Shan's feel.

"Shu is safe?" She asked.

Shan nodded.

"Yes."

She let out a breath.

"Sun Quan is retreating. He won't come back." Ma Chao told her. "We did it, Xing Cai! We've fought off both Wei and Wu."

"Good, then the future is ours."

Her stomach began to hurt, making it hard to talk. She was dying, but she wasn't scared.

"This is all I can do."

"No, Cai!" Shan pleaded. "Please."

She didn't want him to be sad because of her. So she gave him an encouraging smile.

"Shan, I could never love you. My heart belongs to Guan Ping. He wanted me to move on, but no one can move on when they only have half of their heart left."

She saw tears forming in his eyes.

That's why she hadn't let Liu Shan give her half of his heart last night. He would have done so willingly, but then he would have never been able to move on, like she had never been able to completely from Guan Ping. She didn't want him to suffer the same fate.

Now she understood Guan Ping's last request even more so than she had before. She understood the pain that was felt in saying it. A part of her wanted to tell him to never forget her, but the stronger part of her wanted to make sure he would more on.

"I don't want to move on." He whispered.

"You will." She assured. "She may not have ever told you this, Shan, but Xiao has always loved you. Don't worry, Shan. Tell..."

Her voice failed so she had to wait for it to return before continuing. It ended up being longer than she wanted it to, so she continued on even through she knew her voice wasn't strong enough.

"tell my family that I... I did this for them. Tell the other... generals... specially Zhao Yun and... Yun Lu that I'm... that I'm glad to have known them... all of them... They've... all meant... so much to... me."

"CAI!" Zhang Shao's voice rang out.

He ran over to her and kneeled next to Ma Chao.

"It's alright, you'll be okay."

"No, Shao." She corrected. "I'll... say 'hello'... to... Bao for you."

Shao lowered his gaze. Tears began to fall freely from his eyes.

"I can't lose my sister too." He whispered.

Ma Chao put his hand on Shao's shoulder and gave it a squeeze.

"Why Cai, why did you have to fight so hard? Why do you have to die?" Liu Shan's shaky voice asked.

She took a deep breath and found that her lungs were shaking. So she took another breath so she could be certain that she could answer him without chocking again.

"For the future."

"What's the future?" Ma Chao asked in a defeated voice.

She was about to answer, but the shaking she had come used to ceased. She was absolutely still as a cold force began to pull at her. It was screaming at her to get up, but she also felt a delightful warmth on her face gently coaxing her to give in to its light. It was strange. She wanted to give into both of them. She wanted to jump to her feet and feel the warmth on her at the same time, but she knew that was impossible. She was on the edge of death. She wasn't afraid. In fact, she felt content, even happy with it. So she didn't want anyone else to be sad or scared for her.

She was going to tell Shan that it's all going to be alright. Before she did, something in the sky caught her attention. She looked up and blinked a few times. Eventually, she saw the blue sky and the golden sun splitting into two again. In the middle of the two halves was white light.

She smiled and looked over at Shan.

"It's all alright now, Shan." She whispered.

She looked back up at the white light between the two halves of the sun. Everything else began to fade. Even the bright light of the sun turned into darkness. She closed her eyes as the warmth of the white light hit her face.

She opened her eyes. Everything faded until she could see what was behind the white light. Even the powerful light of the sun had gone out. All there was was the white light where the sun had once been, and the figures she could now see who had been behind it the whole time.

"Ping." She whispered so quietly that only he could hear it.

His face smiled at her. He stretched his hand down toward her. She reached hers up too but, but her body didn't move. She felt his fingers curve around hers. She smiled even wider. He began to pull her up.

"CAI, What's the future!" Shan's desperate voice shouted.

Ping's face continued to smile. It was impossible to look away from, but she managed to say.

"It's… an idea. It's… hope."

Then the cold that had been pulling at her was gone. If this is what death felt like, it felt good, in a comforting kind of way. A weight had been lifted off of her. Everything became warm. All she could feel was joy. There wasn't anything that was bad or cold anymore.


	35. Something Brighter

As promised, here's the seccond chapter for today and the final chapter of the story. Special thanks to Gan Aurora for the review!

And now, on with the story!

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35. Something Brighter

Liu Shan held Xing Cai's body close. With a brush of his fingers, he closed her eyes that had been looking up at the sky. Ma Chao looked up to see the bright sun beating down on them.

Jiang Wei and Huang Zhong ran over to them, both of them were speechless. A whole group of Shu soldiers surrounded them. Everyone had a tear in their eye. They all felt the same loss. Xing Cai was gone. She saved his life and gave her own for them.

Ma Chao stood up. In a very calm voice he said to his young lord;

"Liu Shan, make sure that the path you lead us down is worth the sacrifices that it's taken to get us here."

Shan looked up at him and nodded.

"It will be. It will be worth every single sacrifice." He turned down to the body in his arms. "Xing Cai, Guan Yu brought Shu down to his knees with his death. After you lost everything you brought us back up. Whenever we were in doubt, we looked to you. Whenever we needed something done, you did it. Whenever any of us wanted to give up, you kept us going. You were the way and the symbol of the future. You were everything to us. You were everything to Shu. You were the star of Shu Han."

Ma Chao let out a sigh. He looked up at the sky.

"Well, the star has finally taken her place in the heavens."

Liu Shan nodded. Ma Chao turned to the men around them and continued.

"She didn't want any of us to be bound by the past. That's why she fought. She wanted us to be free of past burdens. She wanted us to leave the past in the past and move on." He turned to Liu Shan and whispered. "She wanted all of us to move on from the past."

Liu Shan nodded in understanding. Ma Chao continued.

"We don't have to forget those who fought and died for us to get to this day, but let's not waste what their sacrifice has given by lingering on our losses. Let's rejoice in what we have and mourn for what we lost. For tomorrow a new day begins. Now before us is a future brighter than anything any of us have ever seen before!"

The men raised their spears and cried out! Tears fell from their eyes and their mouths were formed into broad smiles.

x

Guan Ping held her hands in his and smiled at her. She smiled back. He leaned in to her and kissed her. After a moment of heavenly bliss, they parted. Then she turned and looked at the people next to her. She saw Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Guan Xing, Zhang Fei, Zhang Bao, Zhuge Liang, Wei Yan and even Pang Tong.

Everything was okay now. Although their lives had been hard, they had fought well with each other and they had all suffered, but none of it mattered anymore. Nothing that had happened in the past mattered anymore. All that mattered now was that they were together again. The future for everyone was now brighter than it could have ever been without their sacrifices. Everyone they had left behind would be alright. Everyone here was content. All the suffering that they would ever have to endure was over now. All they had to do was wait for the others to come. Otherwise, everything else was perfect, but even waiting for them wasn't a painful thing. They all knew the others, Liu Shan, Xiao, Zhao Yun, Ma Yun Lu, would be coming, but not yet, not yet. Their time wasn't over yet. They still had to enjoy the peace of the land.

All of them would be together again one day that was a certainty. They would all be able to be together in a place where they didn't need to plan for the latest battle or some way to keep Shu safe. They could simply be together in the way that they should have been before.

It didn't matter that they hadn't had the chance until now. They would be together soon. Soon, everything would be as it should have been long ago. Everything would be absolutely perfect. All of them looked forward to that day, but were content in waiting for it.

All the suffering that they would ever have to endure was over now.

In this new knowledge, they all smiled at her. She knew that they had been waiting for her for so long. Now, she was finally able to join them. So she smiled back.

She was free.


End file.
